


Retribution

by JRC10



Category: General Hospital
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-20
Updated: 2019-05-20
Packaged: 2020-03-08 08:46:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 32,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18891184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JRC10/pseuds/JRC10
Summary: A Lolexis story of murder and mystery jumping back and forth from 2007 to 2019.





	1. The Dead

The Dead

________________________________________

 

2019

 

“It was a beautiful service,” said Julian.

“Far better than she deserved.”

“Come on, Ava. The woman is dead. Murdered in cold blood. Can you give it a rest for one day?”

Ava chuckled quietly. “I’d say our feud will be given a rest for all eternity. Now that Carly is dead, I see no reason to hold on to any animosity or old resentments.”

Alexis sighed heavily trying to keep her silence. She wanted to scold Ava for her coldness, but the fact was, Alexis understood Ava’s schadenfreude at Carly’s death better than anyone. Alexis could remember when Carly was Kristina’s stepmother. She remembered the anguish of thinking Carly would raise her child should anything ever happen to her. Now, to Ava’s obvious relief, Carly was out of Avery’s life forever. Alexis would’ve been the one making inappropriate comments had this happened 15 years ago.

“What? You have something to say, Alexis?” asked Ava.

Alexis avoided eye contact with her ex-sister-in-law, fearful her thoughts might show in her expression. “Can you pass the shrimp?”

Ava smirked knowingly and passed the hors d'oeuvres. “The best part about this, is I’m not a suspect. It’s really nice to be on this side of the law for a change.”

It was true. Even though Ava was an obvious beneficiary of Carly’s demise, Ava had a rock solid alibi: Alexis. Alexis was having a late dinner at Charlie’s Pub with Molly the night Carly was killed. Ava was at the bar crying to Julian for the whole pub to hear how devastated and angry she was that Ryan Chamberlain killed Kiki. 

Alexis took a bite of the shrimp. A fiery heat lit up her tongue and awakened her senses. Her heart rate jumped, and she reached for her ice water. She sucked up a piece of ice and let it sit on her tongue, hoping it would cool the fire. 

She hadn’t eaten anything that spicy in about twelve years. Not since L…

She shook her head. It wasn’t the time to relive those memories.

“God damn, these are spicy,” said Julian, wiping his watering eyes and dripping nose. “Who the hell would come back for another one?”

“It’s much like Carly’s personality, painful to endure, but if you have the stomach for it, like Sonny, you get addicted,” said Ava.

“And an ulcer.”

Alexis snorted uncontrollably. Julian and Ava did their best to keep their laughter quiet. Most of the people in the room had become inexplicably fond of Carly over the last decade, and they probably wouldn’t join in on the jokes at her expense at her funeral.

“Excuse me, Alexis. Could I have a word with you?”

Alexis turned to see Detective Harrison Chase grabbing a seat next to her at the table. By the look in his eyes and his serious tone, Alexis could tell he was there on official business.

“Of course, but do you really think Carly’s funeral reception in the time or place?”

“Sonny wants answers. He said he’s fine with me gathering information right now.”

“Then, by all means.” Alexis took another drink of water, still recovering from the scorching heat. As long as the fire lingered, the memories of a very special, very secret time would be too close to the surface to bear.

“When was the last time you were in touch with your ex-husband?”

Alexis raised an eyebrow and looked to Julian. Julian smiled gently at her. Alexis shivered a moment before she turned back to the detective.

“Sorry,” Chase corrected. “I meant Ric Lansing.”

“Oh.” Alexis tried to think back. “He sent me a text wishing me a happy Mother’s Day. He called during the holidays to coordinate gifts for Molly. Before that, I called him when Molly was injured in the earthquake last year.”

Alexis looked to Julian again and smiled her gratitude. He very well may have saved Molly’s life that day. Julian winked back.

“Did he mention Carly during any of those conversations? Or Jason or Sonny?”

“Not at all. The only thing we ever talk about anymore is Molly. And now that Molly is an adult, the conversations are fewer and farther between. You don’t think he’s a suspect, do you?”

“I’m looking into all possibilities.”

“Why Ric? He’s been in California for years now. I would think looking into Sonny’s long list of enemies would be a better place to start.”

“Ric's been on that long list of enemies more than once.”

“But not for a long time."

Chase chewed on his cheek as though deciding what information he wanted to share with Alexis. “The murderer was in contact with someone before Carly was killed.”

Alexis perked up. “Who?”

“Jason. Jason received a letter asking him to meet at a specific location, and to come alone, or else...”

“Or else, what?” asked Julian.

“Or else there was going to be a repeat of 2003.”

“2003? What happened in 2003?”

Chase sighed. “Well, what I could gather from several sources was Carly kidnapped by Ric when she was pregnant. He kept her in a panic room trying to keep her until she had her baby. He was aided by an old rival of Sonny’s...” Chase’s voice drifted off as he seemed to be searching for a name.

“Lorenzo Alcazar,” said Alexis. She was pleased she kept emotion out of her voice when she said that man’s name. “Lorenzo knew what Ric was doing.”

“Right. Well, Jason received a note from someone saying to come alone to an empty warehouse or there would be a repeat of 2003. The language of the note sounded like killer had a ver personal bone to pick with Jason. As you can guess, Jason didn’t follow the killer's rules. Jason brought reinforcements to the meet. It wasn’t until Carly was found dead that Jason figured out the killer was talking about a repeat of what happened to Carly rather than something that happened to him. It appears Carly put up quite a fight in her attempted kidnapping.”

“No doubt she did,” said Ava.

“She ended up brutally beaten for her efforts, and neither she nor the baby survived.”

“You think Ric is capable of something like that?” said Alexis.

“From past history, he’s our lead suspect.”

“And what about this Alcazar guy?” said Julian. He gave Alexis a meaningful look, “Is he related to…”

Alexis nodded, “Lorenzo was Luis’s twin brother. But it couldn’t be Lorenzo.”

“Why not?”

Chase answered for Alexis. “Because Lorenzo Alcazar is dead. The unconfirmed story goes that Jason Morgan killed him on Sonny’s orders back in 2007. Skye Quartermaine, the mother of Alcazar’s baby, betrayed him. She helped Jason into Lorenzo’s home just before Alcazar was planning to leave town for good.”

“So Jason got away with yet another murder?”

“Alcazar’s body was never found. But his bed was bloody, and the mattress was filled with bullets. The bloody comforter of his bedroom set was found empty by the docks. Word is, his corpse sank to the bottom of the water with cinder blocks.”

Julian shook his head, “I’m sorry, but if they never found his body, how do you know he didn’t hitch a boat out of town? I see why Ric is a suspect, but I can’t imagine this Alcazar guy should be ruled out as a possible suspect. Sounds like if he survived, he’d have a whole lot of old resentments against Jason and Carly.”

Chase shook his head, “There was just too much blood on scene. Also, his girlfriend, Skye, took years to clean out his bank accounts all over the world for their daughter. If he survived, I can’t imagine he wouldn’t have touched that money.”

“Alcazar is dead,” said Alexis definitively. “And yes, he had resentments, but he wasn’t the kind of man to kill a woman for no reason.”

“I heard he killed Mary Bishop,” said Chase. “Unconfirmed, of course.”

“Mary Bishop murdered his niece. She murdered more innocent people than that.”

“Why are you defending him?” asked Julian.

Alexis huffed. “I’m not defending him. I’m just stating my opinion. I killed Lorenzo’s twin brother. Lorenzo felt I owed him retribution. But he let me live. I wasn’t in the mob and I didn’t mean to kill Luis, so he never sought his vengeance. He hated me for years, even went head to head with me as the district attorney, but he never hurt a hair on my head. He wouldn’t kill Carly. He married her. He helped her give birth to Morgan. He took care of her when she was mentally ill. He gave her the money to buy her portion of the Metrocourt with no strings attached. He might’ve had resentments, but he wouldn’t have killed her.”

“We’re not excluding any possibilities at this point,” said Chase. “It seems highly unlikely that Alcazar survived that hit, so our prime suspect is Ric until we get an alibi for him, or we find out Alcazar survived.”

Alexis felt her heart sink thinking of Molly. She wondered if she should tell her, or wait for Ric to talk to her.

“Ric hasn’t responded to our calls as of yet. If you hear from him, let us know.”

Alexis nodded. She knew better than to put her neck out for Ric. She wanted to say he wasn’t capable of beating Carly to death and playing games with Jason, but she’d be lying to herself if she did.

When Chase left, Julian moved to the chair next to Alexis. “Hey, you ok?”

“I’m fine.” She tried painting a smile over her face. Julian saw right through it.

“Why didn’t you tell me about Lorenzo Alcazar? You told me about Luis.”

Alexis shrugged trying to play it off as nothing. “There was nothing to tell. Like I said, he never tried to hurt me. He was murdered. Life went on.”

“That had to be scary for you...The lethal, mobster brother of the man you killed coming to town wanting revenge.”

She nodded. “I was scared for a time, but then there was the custody battle with Kristina, her illness, I found Sam, I had Molly, my brother was killed...Life went on.”

Julian rubbed her shoulder. “Are you worrying about Molly?” he asked.

She nodded. “I think I should call and prepare her. This is bound to hit the news soon.”

“If you need anything...” 

“Thank you.”

Alexis left the funeral reception at her first opportunity without being disrespectful or rude. She went straight home, her shoulders tensing more and more the closer she got to her house. When she arrived, she ran straight up to her room. She opened the closet and grabbed a small box off the high shelf. She took the box to her bed and looked through the contents. 

A shuddering sigh escaped her lips as a tear dropped down her cheek. “Lorenzo…”

Alexis grabbed her cell phone and sent a text message to an old friend.

“Hi, Patrick.”

The response was almost immediate. “Hi, Alexis.”

“Did you hear about Carly Corinthos?”

“Yes. Robin is packing for a trip to Port Charles to pay her respects to Jason and Sonny.”

“The police are looking at Ric. They think the murder might be connected to the panic room incident.”

It took a few long moments to respond. “Oh?”

“Lorenzo Alcazar’s name was brought up.”

“Lorenzo Alcazar is dead, Alexis.”

“Patrick,” she chided. He knew better.

“You don’t think he’d come back after all this time to kill Carly, do you?” he asked.

“No. Of course not.” She follow up with, “Do you?”

“We both know how much he hated Jason. It’s a possibility.”

“What have we done?”

“We did nothing wrong, Alexis. We broke no laws.”

“But if he killed Carly, don’t you think we’re partly responsible?”

“No. He’s responsible for his own behavior. And it probably wasn’t even him.”

“You really mean that?”

“Sure.”

“That’s not very convincing.”

“Because I’m not fully convinced.”

Great, thought Alexis.

Patrick messaged again. “Lorenzo is dead. Leave it at that.”

“I’ll try.”

Patrick was quiet for long enough that Alexis thought their conversation over. Then saw another message, “I’m coming with Robin. I’ll see you soon.”

Relief washed over her. She wouldn’t be alone in this for long. “Thank you.”

She looked down at a picture in her box. A pair of stunning, blue eyes looked back at her. A pair of blue eyes she hadn’t seen for a long time...

 

****

 

2007

 

Alexis hated going to the docks, but being the district attorney meant she had to make a few unsavory visits to the distasteful location. This one was at four o’clock in the morning. 

A homicide. It was a complicated and messy crime scene, so she thought it best she get a look at it herself. 

Not only was she having to deal with the bloody aftermath of a heinous crime, but she was doing it on about two hours of sleep. When she wrapped up an hour later, she was tired, hungry, craving coffee, and she couldn’t remember where she parked her damn car. The docks at night weren’t the safest place for an unarmed woman to be wandering around lost and unescorted.

She walked in the complete wrong direction before doubling back. Then, she doubled back once again. She had her keys in her hand pushing buttons, trying to get her car to make some noise so she could finally get to Kelly’s for a croissant and a strong cup of coffee.

A distant honk told her she’d gone too far and turned back around. Finally, she found her car parked on a side street she barely recognized. But she didn’t find relief… 

“Oh shit, it’s the DA, let’s go,” said a man about twenty yards away. He was holding one end of a large, lumpy, rolled blanket. Another man was holding the other end. They were both wearing beanies pulled low, so she couldn’t see their faces in the dark. They dropped the blanket with loud thud and ran to a van parked not far away. Alexis was still standing frozen as the van disappeared from view. She could hear its screeching tires and roaring engine even after the taillights were gone.

Her eyes landed on the lumpy blanket on the side of the road. She didn’t want to get any closer, almost certain she knew what was rolled inside. She’d already seen enough carnage for the day. She tried shaking herself out of her reverie to call Mac to have one of his guys come look in the blanket. 

Then it moved. A small lift in the lumpy fabric.

That movement jolted Alexis into action. She ran forward, not knowing who or what she’d find. Her clicking heels echoed on the asphalt. When she knelt down and touched the blanket, it made a pained groan.

“Oh my God.” She dropped her purse on the floor, reached for the moaning heap, and pulled the blanket back to found bloody body. The man's face was screwed up in pain, his eyes were closed tight, and he was grunting and groaning. The scruff of an incoming beard was caked with dried blood. 

His eyelids opened to reveal light blue, almost gray irises in the absent light. She knew those eyes. She saw those eyes falling from a balcony in the worst of her dreams...

“Alcazar?”

Lorenzo's eyes were pained and unfocused. He narrowed them at Alexis as though trying to see her through his haze of pain and loss of blood. “It’s you,” he wheezed.

“You’re hurt. I’ll call an ambulance.”

“No!” The word seemed a monumental effort to speak. 

“Are you crazy? You need a doctor.”

“He’ll...kill...me. He’ll finish...the job.”

“Who?”

Lorenzo shook his head. Alexis rolled her eyes, even on his deathbed, the man wouldn’t answer the DA’s questions directly. She pulled out her phone to call an ambulance.

“Please...Alexis.” She looked to him again. His pallid face pleaded with her. “If he knows I survived...I’m a dead man anyway.”

Jason did this, she was sure. Alexis hesitated, not knowing what to do…

“You owe me,” he growled.

Alexis nodded and dialed a number. Over Lorenzo’s shuddering breath she waited for her friend to pick up the phone.

“This is Dr. Drake,” said the voice on the line.

“Patrick? It’s Alexis Davis. I need your help…”


	2. The Living

The Living

________________________________________

 

2019

Patrick had only ever been to Alexis’s new house one time shortly before he and Sam split up. Very little had changed since then. He laughed at how the lack of small children living in the space meant white couches could stay intact, and crystal vases didn’t have to be put away in the cabinets, at least until the grandkids came over.

Alexis was pacing around her living room throwing her hands up left and right as she spoke. “I’ve been out of my mind the last couple of days. Did you hear they cleared Ric? He had a solid alibi, thank God. Poor Molly was just worried sick. He was at some conference in DC. They have him on cameras all over the place. Do you think Lorenzo could possibly have killed Carly? Does that make us responsible? Should we go to the police? I can’t even think clearly enough to know if we committed any crimes. If we’re currently committing any crimes. Maybe stealing hospital equipment might come to bite us in....”

“Come here, Alexis.” Patrick grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into a tight hug. Her rambling and yammering was making him anxious. He purposefully breathed deep and slow, the way he did to calm Emma when she was having a tantrum as a little girl. When her shaky, restless body settled, he said, “We didn’t do anything wrong, Alexis. We replaced everything we stole from the hospital. We saved a dying man’s life. That’s it.”

She nodded and pulled herself away to look up in Patrick’s eyes. Tears were welling up. “I know. I know. You’re right.”

Patrick held her face in his hands and wiped her tears. Such a beautiful woman should never have to cry. “Then why are you so worked up?”

Alexis let out a long, slow breath. “I just…” She shook her head as more tears fell. “What if he did it, Patrick? What if it was him?”

“You want to think he’s a better man than that.”

“Isn’t he? You got to know him almost as well as I did. Do you think he’s capable of this?”

Patrick laughed, “First of all, I didn’t get to know him nearly as well as you did.”

Alexis giggled. 

“And second, twelve years have passed, Alexis. A lot can happen to a person in twelve years. We don’t know who Lorenzo is now.”

She nodded. “What should we do, then? Should we go to the police? Should we tell them he’s alive?”

Patrick pulled her to sit down next to him on the couch. He wrapped an arm around her and she relaxed into his side. “For what? So Jason can hunt him down and kill him? Even if Lorenzo didn’t kill Carly, Jason and Sonny tried to kill him. They hate him. We’d be giving him a death sentence.”

“You’re right. We don’t know if he had anything to do with this. We can’t say anything unless we know for sure.”

“You’re afraid he did it, aren’t you?”

She nodded. “I don’t want to think him capable of killing his ex-wife, but we both know how much he hated her, hated Jason and Sonny.”

“Hated Sam,” Patrick finished.

“Don’t remind me,” she grumbled.

He rubbed his hand up and down her arm trying to soothe her. “Sonny and Jason have a lot of enemies. Carly had a lot of enemies. Just because the killer referenced what happened in 2003 doesn’t mean it has to be Ric or Lorenzo. Anybody could’ve done this, Alexis.”

“Well...There’s really only one way to find out…”

Patrick sighed. He was waiting for her to come to that conclusion. “You’re going to call him, aren’t you?”

She nodded. “I think I have to. Do you think the number is still active?”

“He said he'd have for you in an emergency.”

“A lot can happen in twelve years.”

“A lot, indeed.” He kissed her forehead before she stood to grab her phone. 

Patrick noticed Alexis didn’t need to go hunt down the phone number. She dialed it from memory. She put the phone on speaker, and they listened to it ring.

It went straight to voicemail. There was no recording, no greeting, no ‘leave a message at the beep.’ There was only a beep.

“Lorenzo, it’s me...It’s Alexis. I need to talk to you. Call me, please…” She left her number and hung up the phone.

 

*****

 

2007

 

Lorenzo woke in a strange place. He lay in a large, cozy bed, sunlight shining through the blinds. He could tell he wasn’t in the city by the trees outside the window. 

His head was groggy and his body achy all the way down to his toes. Pain was throbbing in his chest and stomach, and radiating down his legs. He tried to sit up, but it hurt to breathe, much less move.

“Where the hell am I?”

He thought back to his last memories...He was in bed with Skye. They were going to leave for Venezuela with Lila...Skye was gone when he woke...Jason came in with a gun...Alexis Davis found him in the dark…

As his mind started to clear, Lorenzo looked around the room. Pictures of Alexis, Sam McCall, and two little girls were on the nightstand. The walls were painted a soft cream, and the sheets around him were white. He must be in her bedroom.

Lorenzo noticed he was naked except for the sheet on top of him, and the bandages on his chest and stomach. Never in his life did he expect to have Alexis Davis see him naked. He expected there was no avoiding it; he couldn’t imagine she was too pleased with having to take care of a body riddled with bullets.

He inspected the medical equipment by the bed. IV lines were running under the sheets. The bandages on his chest looked medical grade and professionally administered. He tried not to panic wondering how Alexis Davis got access to that equipment and who she enlisted to help her save him.

Lorenzo waited and waited for Alexis to come. There was a television in the room, but he couldn’t reach the remote on the nightstand at the other side of the bed. He had no books to read. He had no phone to make calls. No newspaper. No distractions from the pain.

He waited for what felt like hours. The pain worsening with every beat of his heart, throbbing with every breath. He tried slowing his breath and relaxing his muscles. He tried meditative humming. It helped for a few moments. Ultimately, he just gave up trying to manage the pain and let himself lay helpless to it. Surprisingly, that was the most helpful pain management strategy of all. He even began thinking how lucky he was to even be feeling the pain. It was much better than the alternative of never feeling anything again.

Finally, he heard a noise in the house. Quick footsteps clicked closer and closer. Finally, the bedroom door opened. Alexis came bustling in. She stopped dead in her tracks, shocked to see him awake.

“Hi,” she said. “How are you feeling?”

“Uncomfortable.” Lorenzo geared himself up for a fight, much like he normally did when he saw Alexis. His muscles tensed in his jaw and down to his shoulders to his fists. That only made the pain more unbearable. 

“That’s probably a good sign, considering the state I found you in.” She smiled gently at him. 

Her soft expression took him completely off guard. He’d never seen her smile like that before, lacking the mocking arrogance of the DA. He never had any interest in making her smile like that. The transformation of her face was shocking. 

He was in too much pain to figure out what that meant.

“I’m so sorry I wasn’t here when you woke up. I had to be in court this morning, and then, commissioner needed me at the station. You weren’t even supposed to wake today. I should’ve been here at lunch to switch your medication.”

“Who else knows I’m here?”

“A doctor friend of mine. He saved your life. He taught me how to take care of you.” And that’s exactly what she started doing. With a practiced hand, she began switching out his IV bags.

“He knows how imperative it is to keep this a secret?”

“He does.”

“How long have I been asleep?”

“Over a week.” Alexis sat on the edge of the bed next to him. Lorenzo noticed a scent of flowers follow her. She avoided his eyes, for the most part. She inspected his bandages, tracing a finger around where the tape met his skin. “Most of the bullets passed right through you, but one got lodged close to your spine. The doctor had a hard time getting it out without all the necessary equipment.”

“If I survived, then clearly he had all the necessary equipment. The rest is just bells and whistles.”

“Yes, but at what cost?”

“What do you mean?”

Her gaze finally met his. Her dark, brown irises held an obvious concern for Lorenzo. Why would she feel concerned about him? She hated him. “He was afraid you might be paralyzed.”

Fear paralyzed Lorenzo’s heart as much as any bullets could do to his legs. He hadn’t considered that.

“Are you in pain?” she asked.

He realized he wasn’t in pain anymore. “I was. Now I just feel like I’m warming up after being terribly cold.” 

“Good, then the morphine is working.” She smiled sweetly. Maybe it was the drugs, but he couldn’t help his own smile at the sight.

Alexis put a hand on his cheek and moved it to his forehead. “Your temperature feels good. I think we got that infection under control.”

Lorenzo tried to reach up to grab her hand. Her touch was too soft. Too caring. Too intimate. It was confusing him...making him feel like he was floating...drifting. 

His hand fell on her lap. She took it in her own. Her touch was soft and warm…

“I didn’t mean for you to do all this…” he couldn’t finish his thought.

“It’s ok, Lorenzo.” Her voice was lost in a drug-induced echo. “You’re safe here. Go to sleep…I’ve got you...”


	3. Contact

Contact

________________________________________

 

2019

 

Blocks were scattered across the floor. Every time Scout built up some semblance of a building, she’d knock it over and laughed with glee. 

“She’s as self-destructive as the best Cassadine,” said Alexis.

Sam didn’t laugh. She wasn’t fond of Cassadine humor.

“How are you, cookie?” asked Alexis. Her eldest daughter had a long, contentious relationship with Carly Corinthos, but the loss seemed to be hitting her particularly hard.

“I’m worried about Jason.” 

Of course she was. Alexis tried not to roll her eyes. Some things never changed. “He’s taking the loss pretty hard?”

“He’s obsessing about it, Mom. He’s determined to find who did this before the police. He wants to ‘take care of things’ himself.”

Alexis cringed. At least Sam confirmed what Alexis already assumed, she was right to keep quiet about Lorenzo. Thank goodness Patrick was there to talk sense into her. Not that she would’ve sold Lorenzo out under any circumstances, even if telling the police was the ‘right’ thing to do. She’d never trade Lorenzo for Carly, even if Carly was still alive.

“Jason’s got Spinelli looking into all kinds of records, trying to figure out who did this. He’s asked Curtis and I to help. We’re putting all our resources into this manhunt.”

“How do you feel about all this?”

“I’m just afraid he’s going to get caught applying his personal brand of justice.” Sam looked to Danny who was curled up on the big, cushy armchair playing video games with his headphones on. The volume on the thing was so loud, Alexis could hear the noise from where she sat. 

Alexis sighed. “You know, you don’t have to give the information you find to Jason. You could give it to the police.”

Sam shook her head. “Jason needs this,” she said as if that was all that mattered. Alexis looked to Danny. She couldn’t say she’d be heartbroken if Jason ended up in prison and Danny got to go back to a life without a criminal father pretending to be his hero.

“Whatever happens, sweetie, I’m here. I love you.” Alexis hugged her daughter.

“I love you, too.”

“If I was more domestic, I’d try to cook something to make you feel better. But since I’m not, how does pizza sound?”

Sam shook her head. “No thanks. We’re going to bring food to Jason’s apartment. He’s been skipping meals since…” since Carly died. “Danny and Jake are the only things keeping him focused on his life outside of revenge.”

Alexis cupped her daughter’s cheeks and looked into her eyes. “Make sure you’re taking as good of care of yourself as you are of Jason.”

Sam nodded solemn and unconvincing, and Alexis knew Sam would kill herself taking care of that man if he’d let her. 

When her daughter and grandchildren left, she went to the kitchen to make herself popcorn and calming tea. She probably should’ve focused on one thing at a time because the simultaneous popping kernels and screeching tea kettle flustered her, and she ended up burning the popcorn.

She was dumping the charcoaled remnants of dinner in the garbage when her phone started ringing. She doubted it would be Lorenzo calling so soon. After twelve years, she didn’t even know if he owned that number any longer. That doubt didn’t stop her from running to the living room and grabbing her phone as fast as she could. 

The caller ID was an international number. She answered. It took her a moment to find her voice. “Hello.” She thought she sounded like a mouse.

A deep breath sounded over the line, and she knew it was him. She could almost hear his voice just in the way he drew air.

“Lorenzo?” 

“Hi, Alexis.” 

A wave of emotion hit the back of her eyes making her cheeks heat and her heart race. She tried to say ‘hi’ back, but all that came out was a laughing sob.

“Hey, are you ok?” he asked.

She wiped her eyes on the back of her hand and sniffed a breath still trying to figure out how to use her words.

“What am I saying? Of course you’re not ok, or you wouldn’t be calling. Did something happen? Tell me what you need. Anything.”

The sound of his deep rumbling voice warmed her, reassured her. He sounded so much the same...but different. Older, but in a good way. Her words suddenly found a way to fall out of her mouth. “Your voice is deeper. A little raspy.”

He hummed a pleasant sigh. “You sound exactly the same. Now talk to me, Alexis. What’s going on?”

She realized she wasn’t prepared for this conversation. She didn’t know what to say or how to say it.

“Carly was killed, Lorenzo. She was beaten to death.”

The line went quiet.

“Lo?”

He cleared his throat and said, “I can’t say I’m surprised. She always associated with all the wrong crowds.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to be sorry for me, Alexis. You know that. I haven’t had pleasant feelings for Carly a long time now.”

“It doesn’t mean her death doesn’t hurt.”

“Really, Alexis, I’m not bothered. I haven’t even thought of Carly in years. And something tells me she’s not the reason you’re calling me. I can’t imagine you’d think I’d be so eager to know, that you’d use the number I left you for emergencies to tell me about her.”

“You’re right. That’s not all.”

“You sound anxious. Tell me.” The gentle caress of his voice made Alexis imagine him holding her in those big, strong arms, and looking at her with those glittering, blue eyes, coaxing out her worries.

“It wasn’t a crime of passion. It was cold-blooded murder. The killer was after Jason. He told Jason he needed to come alone to a warehouse or 2003 would happen all over again. Jason didn’t know what the note meant, he didn’t follow the directions, and the next day, Carly was found beaten to death.”

“2003 would happen all over again? You mean the panic room?”

“That’s what the police think. Carly was pregnant again when she was killed.”

“What does this have to do with me?”

“Well, the obvious suspect is…”

“Ric.”

“Exactly, but Ric has an airtight alibi.”

“So, it’s a copycat?”

“Most likely. But…”

“But what?”

“Since your body was never found, the police haven’t ruled out the possibility that you’re alive and getting revenge.”

“Jesus fucking Christ. Will I ever be rid of that family?”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.”

She had to ask. She knew she shouldn’t, but she had to hear it from his mouth. “Lorenzo…”

“Hm?”

“You didn’t do it, did you? You wouldn’t do this.”

“Ahh, so the real reason for your call.” She could hear the disappointment in his voice.

Alexis bit her lip. She hated asking. “Twelve years is a long time, Lo. I just want to hear you say it.”

“Alexis, I’ve been in Peru every day of the last two years. I’m working on a project in an Incan temple. I swear to you, I haven’t thought of Carly in years, much less wanted her or Jason dead. I’ve been pulling bodies out of the dirt at the excavation site, not putting fresh ones in.”

She sighed in relief and smiled. “That’s good to hear.”

“You gave me a second chance at life. I promised you I wouldn’t waste it.”

Her shoulders relaxed and her heart warmed. “Good man.”

“Good men are made by good women.” She could hear the smile in his voice.

“I can't believe you're working in a temple of the Inca. You’re an archeologist now?” she laughed.

“I prefer the term ‘hands-on historian.’ Someone might've had some influence on me.”

“You’re enjoying the work?”

“Sure.” His voice lacked enthusiasm. “How are you, Alexis? How’ve you been the last decade?”

She thought of everything that happened...The deaths of Helena, Nikolas, and Kiefer...She thought of Mac, Shawn, and Jerry...of Julian…

“I’ve been good. I’ve been living, Lorenzo, just like we promised we would.”

“I’m afraid to ask if there’s someone special in your life. I don’t think I’d like the answer either way.”

Alexis smiled. “I was thinking the same thing about you.”

“So, we’ll leave each other now as we left each other then, picturing the best for each other.”

“That sounds like a plan.”

They were both quiet, not wanting to hang up the phone, but knowing if they kept talking it would only be harder to let go.

“I…” Lorenzo stopped himself. 

She wondered what he was going to say. ‘I miss you,’ perhaps. It couldn’t possibly be anything more...not after all this time.

“Alexis, I...I’m glad to hear from you. So glad. I check that voicemail every night in case you call.”

“Every night? For twelve years?”

“I’ve never missed a day.”

“Lo…”

“I’ll keep checking. Everyday. And when I’m old and delirious, I’ll hire someone to check it for me. You’ll always have me if you need me.”

Tears started falling again. “Thank you, Lo.”

“I won’t be the one to hang up, Alexis. It’s going to have to be you.”

She nodded, then a thought came to her. “Oh, Lorenzo!”

“What?”

“I forgot to tell you about Jason.” Alexis was so caught up hearing his voice she almost didn’t warn him. “Sam says Jason is looking for revenge. Please be careful. If he finds out you’re alive, he might shoot first and ask questions later.”

“Alexis, Sonny and Jason wanting me dead was the reason for this elaborate farce in the first place. I’m being careful. You and Patrick are the only two people in the entire world who know I’m alive.”

“Thank God. I was afraid you’d try to reach out to Lila Rae. If Skye found out she’d run straight to Jason and Sonny.”

“I promised I wouldn’t contact my daughter.” Sadness colored his tone. “You haven’t seen her, have you? Or heard anything about her?”

“I’ve seen pictures of her at the Quartermaines. She hasn’t been to Port Charles in a long time. But I laid the breadcrumbs you left for Skye to find your money. Edward Quartermaine also left Lila shares in ELQ. She’s taken care of, Lorenzo. You’ve done well by her.”

“As well as an absent father can do.” His voice was dripping with an unpleasant mix of self-pity and self-loathing.

“She wouldn’t be better off if you were dead, Lorenzo. And neither would I.”

He huffed. “Thank you. Perspective, huh?”

It was time to hang up the phone. Alexis was feeling far too much for the man on the other side of the line. “I really should go.”

“Yeah, that would probably be best.”

“I…” she hesitated. She decided to say it anyway. “I miss you. God, I miss you, Lo.”

“Oh, baby, you have no idea.”

She listened to his breathing for just a moment more. “Goodbye, Lorenzo.”

“Goodbye, Alexis.”

She forced herself to hang up, and she dropped the phone in her lap. Tears fell down her cheeks and sobs shook her body. Hearing his voice damn near put her in 2007 all over again, the anguish of never seeing him again, setting herself up to make stupid decisions with a man like Jerry Jacks to ease her broken heart.

Alexis dried her eyes and went to get her calming tea. She couldn’t drown herself in the pain of his loss again. She was too susceptible to booze, and she was too susceptible to Julian to allow herself to fall apart again. She’d pull herself together and move on.

She bit her lip hoping her dreams would be as determined as her consciousness to keep thoughts of Lorenzo at bay. Then again, she found some comfort in the hope that his raspy voice might invade her dreams once again…

 

_____________________________________

 

“Um...Stone Cold. I might have something for you.” Spinelli swallowed, fearful of what his information might uncover.

“What do you got? Anything on Alcazar?” demanded Jason. Jason’s single-minded obsession with finding Carly’s killer had him speaking more abrupt that normal. Spinelli couldn’t imagine that Alcazar survived the hit from Jason, but Jason wanted to be certain.

“Umm. In the last week, I’ve found thirty-six cell phone numbers in Port Charles who contacted numbers in South America. I haven’t finished hacking all the carriers, but of the numbers I’ve found so far, one is registered to someone connected to the Corinthos family.”

“Who?”

“Alexis Davis.”

“Alexis?” 

“Someone called her yesterday from the Peruvian countryside. I wanted to see if she had other South American contacts, but the only other international call she made from her cell phone in the past month was to a Swiss phone number earlier that day.”

“Peru? We don’t have any information to suggest Alcazar’s been in Peru. It must’ve been a call from one of her clients.”

“So I thought, too. But there is something fishy about that Swiss number.”

“What?”

“Someone has been calling to check the voicemail of that number everyday, once a day, for the past twelve years. The past couple of years, those calls came from the same Peruvian number that later called Alexis. But prior to that, most of the calls came from...”

“Venezuela?”

Spinelli nodded.

“Twelve years? One call everyday for twelve years?”

Spinelli nodded again.

“When did the calls start? What month? What year?”

“August 2007.”

“Three months after Alcazar’s supposed death.”

“Exactly.”

“Let’s say that’s true. Let’s say Alcazar was calling everyday to see if Alexis would leave him a voicemail on that Swiss phone...Why would he do that? He hated Alexis. She killed his brother. And she hated him.”

“I have no idea. The question we need answered, is what would prompt Alexis to call him after all these years?”

“Carly’s murder.”

“You don’t think Alexis had something to do with it, do you?”

“No. But I do think Alexis would wonder if Lorenzo did. We’re all wondering that.”

“Should we ask Alexis what’s going on? If she know if Alcazar’s alive?”

Jason shook his head. “I don’t want to scare her off in case she's protecting him. I’m going to send someone to Peru to track down who made that call, and see if it actually is Alcazar or someone connected with the family. I need you to get me some bugging equipment for Alexis’s house. I want a camera in her living room, and one on all the entrances to her home. And I need access to audio for all her phone calls.”

Spinelli nodded, but warned, “Fair Samantha is not going to like this.”

“She doesn’t need to know. And if she did know, she’d be on our side.”

“Did Curtis come up with any information from the men who disposed of Alcazar’s body?”

Jason nodded, “After they ‘disposed’ of his body, they checked in with me and said everything went well. No hiccups. No problems. Shortly after that, they disappeared. Curtis was able to retrace their getaway to Texas. One of the guys was shot and killed holding up a liquor store, but the other seems to have made it across the border.”

“I’d imagine he’d be difficult to find from there.”

“If he’s got any information that Alcazar might be alive, he’s worth going after.”

Spinelli nodded. He looked at the dark circles under Jason’s eyes and wished his friend would get some rest. Tentatively he said, “Sam and the kids are waiting in the kitchen for you. They brought Chinese food.”

“I know.”

“Leave this to me for the night. I’ll let you know if find anything. Go spend time with your family.”

Jason looked like he was about to argue for a moment, but stopped himself. He nodded and took Spinelli’s advice. Spinelli thanked God for Sam and those kids, otherwise Jason might really lose it.

 

****

 

2007

 

Washing Lorenzo had become a nightly ritual. It was turning into as much of a therapy for her as it was for him. She ran the sponge up and down his body, stimulating the nerve endings everywhere she could. Well, almost everywhere...She stayed away from those parts that were currently covered by a towel.

She avoided his eyes as he watched her intently. She was scrubbing one of his calves. He lay back, completely relaxed with his hands behind his head. 

“How’s your pain?” she asked.

“Much better,” he rumbled. His voice was so deep and gravelly from underuse, every time he spoke it was a reminder that she and Patrick had been his only contacts with the world for weeks. 

“It’s hard to complain of discomfort when you’re doing that,” he said. She thought if she looked up, he might be smiling. She kept her eyes on his legs to avoid the sight. 

“Can you feel the sponge any better than before?”

“Much.”

Even though he was getting more feeling in his legs, she still worried he’d never walk again. He was going to need physical therapy soon if he had any chance of walking.

“Though, I must say, your hands are more stimulating than that sponge.”

Alexis looked up in shock. He was smirking. 

“Are you teasing me?”

“A little.”

She blushed.

“Sorry,” he said. “I’m still acclimating to this new…” he gestured between the two of them, “whatever. I guess I’m learning how to joke with you.”

She didn’t want him to know she was more embarrassed by where her dirty thoughts went rather than his words, so she didn’t correct him. “Lorenzo Alcazar joking with me? I never thought I’d see the day.”

“I don’t seem to hate you so much when you’re saving my life.”

She laughed and looked down at the part of his thigh she was scrubbing, trying to avoid contact with his blue eyes that exuded an unfortunate amount of charm. “Well, I don’t seem to hate you so much when you’re not menacing society or threatening revenge.”

Lorenzo gently grabbed her hand as she washed up his thigh. She looked up to find him staring with serious eyes. “You’ve been kind to me. I don’t deserve your kindness.”

His words warmed her. They felt like an apology. “Kindness is a gift. You don’t have to deserve a gift, otherwise it’s just payment.”

“You’re making it hard to hold old resentments.”

“Are you questioning your need for retribution? And to think you were so adamant about it when we first met.”

“Waiting on me hand and foot, washing my feet, cleaning my stool...what more retribution could I possibly need?” He wasn’t smiling. He was still dead serious. And maybe a little ashamed.

She couldn’t stand the feeling of people around her in emotional discomfort, even if it was an Alcazar, so she changed the subject. “I brought you more books from the library. Here,” she handed him the sponge, “clean your male parts and I’ll get them from the living room.”

He grinned when she said ‘male parts,’ and took the sponge from her hand. She tried not to pay too much attention to the vibrating energy on her fingers where he accidentally touched. 

She left to grab the books. She moved slow giving him enough time to do whatever male things needed to be done. She checked on Molly in her crib and Kristina in her big girl bed. The sweet girls had no idea why Mommy wouldn’t let them in her room any longer, but aside from that, they seemed unaffected by the secret inhabitant of their house. They didn’t have a clue he was there.

When she came back, the sponge was floating in the basin and her white sheet was covering Lorenzo from the waist down. She sat next to him on the bed and displayed her library finds. He picked one and thumbed through it.

“Empire of the Inca?” said Lorenzo. “I haven’t read this one.”

Alexis beamed. “Ha! Finally!”

He laughed at her joy at finally finding a history book he hadn’t read.

“How could you not have read this one? It’s about Ancient South American civilizations. I thought that would be right up your alley.”

He frowned, slightly. “I got my education in Europe decades ago. You know how ethnocentric they could be in those days. In any case, my time at the university was spent distancing myself from my family and their business. I studied more history of your cultures than my own.”

How terribly sad, though Alexis could understand his plight more than Lorenzo could realize. “Well, now you get to read about the Inca Empire in your free time without the family baggage to go with it.”

“You’re a lawyer, a nurse, and now a shrink all rolled into one.”

“Unfortunately for you, the one skill of mine you don’t need is the only one I’m any good at.”

He grinned with quiet mischief, “Something tells me you have a few more skills than just those three. Though, I’m sure a man like me would never have a chance to see them all.”

Heat consumed her body, and she was certain she couldn’t hide her arousal this time. She looked down and cleared her throat knowing her voice would crack if she spoke too soon. “Indeed,” she choked out. “More jokes?”

“Indeed. Apologies if they make you uncomfortable.” She looked up to find him grinning and completely unapologetic. 

She rolled her eyes and stood to move away. She hated how obvious she was being about his effect on her. She busied herself by cleaning up the sponge bath and readying herself for bed. Lorenzo kindly stopped his joking and turned his attention to his book. It was such a goddamn effort for them to pretend they weren’t aware of every movement the other was making.

When she could no longer busy herself with anything, she turned off all the lights save the one on Lorenzo’s nightstand and crawled into bed. Sleeping next to Lorenzo was an unfortunate necessity; Alexis didn’t trust herself to wake if he called out to her from the guest room. So, she blushed profusely, still too affected by his unexpected innuendo, as she fluffed up her pillow and lay her head down.

It didn’t take long for Lorenzo to put his book down and turn off the light. He pulled a couple pillows out from under his head so he could lie flat. Alexis learned early on not to assist him unless he specifically asked. A fiercely independent man, he could get snappish if she offered unsolicited help.

He grunted and tried to twist and turn. She could tell he was trying to roll on his side. His unmoving hips and legs were being uncooperative. It was painful to watch him struggle.

Alexis sat up and leaned over him, hoping he wouldn’t get frustrated with her intervention. She pulled him by the hip, turning him, tucking the pillow between the bed and his backside. She pulled his leg over to balance his weight, and made sure his catheter was unobstructed. Amazing how she’d become so efficient at maneuvering him in just a couple of weeks. It was actually something that made her quite proud.

“Is that ok?” she asked.

“Perfect. Thank you.” So formal. So polite. At least he wasn’t angry.

Alexis lay back down. The only light left in the room was the moonlight cascading in from the partially opened blinds. She could see the pale light glistening in his eyes. Their gray color in the darkness reminded her of the night she found him on the street. 

Except tonight, they were looking at her with a focused clarity they didn’t have before. She could see he was wide awake, watching her. There was no anger in his eyes, not like she’d grown used to seeing in the past four years, but she couldn’t figure out what took its place.

Alexis didn’t shrink away from his observation like she’d been doing all evening. Something about the dark made his scrutiny easier to bear, and it gave her an entitlement to do the same to him. Not that she didn’t get to inspect him whenever she wanted. She took care of all of his basic needs. She probably knew more about certain parts of his body than any of his previous lovers. 

But there was something different about how he watched her tonight. He didn’t seem to just be looking at her. It was like he was trying to discern some insight into her soul.

Alexis stared back and tried to do the same. Or maybe she just liked looking at his face. The thought made her lose her breath. She couldn’t think of Alcazar that way. Even though his innuendo suggested he might be thinking of her like that, too.

He didn’t seem to mind the view. 

Alexis lay there watching him watch her. A million impulses flashing through her mind - talking, touching, running away, kissing, sleeping - each one dismissed immediately in favor of her own self-imposed paralysis. If she moved, the moment might be broken, and he may never look at her the same way again. She didn’t want to risk it.

But apparently, he did.

“Why are you helping me?” he asked quietly.

“Like you said. I owe you.”

He shook his head. “That was my reason for asking you to help me, but we both know you never felt obliged to pay such an irrational debt.”

Maybe he really could see her soul. “You were dying, Lorenzo. I couldn’t let you die.”

“You could’ve called an ambulance, done your due diligence, and left me a sitting duck for Jason.”

“No, I couldn’t have done that.”

“But you hated me.”

“No, I didn’t. I hated your brother.”

“I look just like him.”

“Only sometimes.”

“He left you to die. It would’ve been poetic to leave his twin to die, too.”

“I’ve never cared much for poetry.”

He smiled. “Now, that’s a shame.”

“Why?”

“A lot of beautiful poems have been written about women like you.”

She blushed, “Are you teasing me again?”

“Not at all.”

Lorenzo’s hand reached across the space between and landed on hers. His fingers, so much longer than her own, surrounded her hand. He pulled her hand closer, so they lay in the connected in the middle of the bed.

They lay together, quietly watching, a strange, deep intimacy between them. As time stretched on, his indiscernible expression faded, and his real emotion shined through. Or maybe his expression never changed, but rather, her ability to read it. 

Gratitude. Warmth. Confusion. Affection. Could she really be seeing such things in a man’s eyes vaguely lit by the pale moonlight? She was certain she could. 

Her eyelids weighed heavy. She fought back her regrettable need to sleep. When she finally closed her eyes, burning with the effort of staying awake, she wondered how things might be different for them in the morning.


	4. Lingering Grudges

Lingering Grudges

________________________________________

 

2019

A patron sitting in the restaurant of the Metrocourt would’ve never guessed one of the owners was recently brutally murdered.  Alexis watched the staff go on as if nothing ever happened. Alexis wished it was the same for Sam who was currently moving the food around her plate with a fork rather than eating it.  

“I wish you’d eat, honey,” said Alexis.  

“I’m sorry, Mom.  I just don’t have a taste for it right now.”

“How’s Jason?” Alexis forced herself to ask.

A tear rolled down Sam’s cheek.  

“Talk to me, Sam.  What’s going on?”

She sniffed and wiped the tear so as not to mess her mascara.  “I don’t know what’s going on, that’s the problem. Jason’s keeping things from me.  I was helping with his investigation, and I thought he was happy with my work, but I caught Spinelli working behind my back.  Spinelli wouldn’t tell me what was going on without Jason’s permission. 

“Did you ask Jason about it?”

She shook her head.  “No. I don’t want to upset him.  He’s dealing with enough right now.”

Alexis gripped the table trying to calm herself.  She knew from years of experience, Sam could get touchy and defensive when it came to Jason.  She forged ahead carefully, “Um...Sweetheart...Your feelings are just as important as Jason’s.  Don’t hold onto your pain to spare his.”

“He just lost his best friend, Mom.  What am I supposed to do? Harp on him about communication when he hasn’t begun to grieve her death.”

“Yes, actually.  You’re probably the best person to help him work through his grief, and to do that, he needs to communicate.”  Even if it meant grunting and staring to express his emotion.

More tears fell from her daughter’s eyes.  They fell quicker than Sam could wipe them away.  “I better get going. I need to pick up the kids from Monica’s.”

“Sam, don’t go…”  Don’t avoid the people who love you the way Jason does...

“I’m fine, Mom.  I’ll call you later.”  Sam stood, threw on her coat, and wiped away more tears before leaving without another word to her mother.

Alexis groaned in frustration, wishing she could have a drink to ease the tension in her neck, and, as she thought of Jason, the pain in her ass.  Instead, she picked up her fork and finished her meal. Alexis lamented her appetite didn’t disappear with stress like it did for Sam. 

“Alexis?” said a familiar male voice.

She took a deep breath before she turned to greet the sound of her past.  “Hello, Ric.” Her youngest child’s father walked up to her table and sat in Sam’s vacant chair.  He had with him a glass of scotch. Alexis tried not to pay attention to the booze; Ric’s presence alone was enough to drive her to drink.

“How’ve you been?” he asked.

“Fine.”

Ric smiled.  “Since I’m no longer your husband, am I allowed to take that at face value?”

She shrugged, “You can do whatever you want.  Are you here to see Molly?”

“Yes.  And to aid in the investigation of Carly’s murder as best as I can.  The police have a lot of questions about what I did to Carly all those years ago.  The people who were involved. That sort of thing.”

“The people who were involved?  It was just you and Lorenzo Alcazar, wasn’t it?”

Ric shrugged, “I was trying to be sensitive to you by avoiding his name.  I know you’re not fond of the man.”

“Alcazar has been dead a long time; my animosity died with him.”

“The police aren’t certain Lorenzo was actually killed.  It might be time to rekindle that old anger and resentment.”

Her jaw dropped.  “We all know Jason killed him.  Jason doesn’t make mistakes.”

“Ha!  Tell that to Franco Baldwin.”

Alexis nodded the concession.  “But all that blood on the scene...I saw it myself.  I was the DA at the time. There’s no way anyone could have survived that.”

“Without a body, anything is possible.”

“Even if Alcazar was alive, why would he go after Carly?”

Ric laughed, “Seriously?  His ex-wife? Either way, from what I gather, the killer was after Jason.  Carly’s death was probably punishment for Jason’s mistake. Lorenzo Alcazar, if he is still alive, has more reason than anyone in the world to want Jason, Carly, Sonny, and a half-dozen other people in the this town dead.  Including you, Alexis. You really need to be careful.”

“Lorenzo had four years to kill me when he came into town.  I doubt he’d care to hassle about it now.”

“For Molly’s sake and yours, I hope you’re right.”

“I’m fine, Ric.”

Ric looked at the barely eaten plate of food in front of him.  “Did I scare off your date?”

“Sam was here.  She left to get the kids.”

Ric cringed.  Sam was, even after all these years, a sensitive topic between them.  “How are Sam and Jason holding up?”

“I’m sure you can imagine.  They’re distraught.”

Ric nodded, “Sonny’s a disaster.  He was drunk when I stopped by to visit him today.  Who knows if he’s been taking his medication.”

“I should go see him.”  Alexis had been avoiding Sonny because of her discomfort with hiding Lorenzo’s survival from him.

“He could use all the friends he can get, especially after the note he received this morning.”

“Note?  What note?”

Ric narrowed his eyes at her.  “No one told you?”

“I’ve been working all day.  I haven’t heard a thing.”

Ric tossed back the rest of his drink.  “The note said, ‘One down, three to go.’”

“Three to go?  Meaning this person intends to kill more people?”

“I don’t know for certain, but that seems to be the case.”

A cold shiver went down her spine.  “Three more people. Sonny and Jason are probably two of those people.  Who do you think would be the third?”

“I don’t know.  I’m guessing it could be anyone close to Sonny or Jason.  And if the killer is Lorenzo Alcazar...it could be you, Alexis.  It could be Sam. We all know how much he hated her after she nearly killed his son.”

Alexis didn’t notice her hands shaking until her fork started clattering against the plate.  For the first time since Carly’s death, she felt fear that it might happen again, and this time, to someone she loved.

Lorenzo would never harm her, and he’d never hurt Sam, of that, Alexis was certain.  And Lorenzo said he wasn’t the person who killed Carly. She believed his words like they came from her own lips.  And it couldn’t have been Ric; he was at that conference out of town. Who the hell else could it be?

She’d have to talk to Sonny.  She needed him sober and taking care of the safety of their family.

 

 

*****

 

2007

 

“Use your triceps, Lorenzo,” said Patrick.  “You’ve got to let yourself down slow, or you can re-injure your spine.”

Alexis watched Lorenzo groan in obvious agony learning to transfer himself from the bed to his wheelchair and back again.  Patrick was adamant Lorenzo be able to do it on his own. He was afraid of what might happen if he depended on Alexis to lift him without Patrick there.  Alexis was afraid, too. Lorenzo was a big, heavy man, even with all the weight he’d lost since he was shot.

“Come on, Lo,” said Alexis.  “You can do this.”

She watched him lower himself, grunting in pain, onto the seat.  The last few inches, his arms collapsed and he crashed down on the wheelchair.

“Fuck!”  Lorenzo’s face was screwed up in pain.

“You did good, man,” said Patrick.  “You’ve got this. It’ll only get easier from here.”

Alexis bent down in front of Lorenzo in his wheelchair.  “Are you ok?” she searched his face for any evidence of new injury.

He opened his eyes to find hers.  Her worry must’ve shown on her face, because his hand cupped her cheek, and his thumb stroked across her skin in gentle reassurance.  “I’m good, Alexis. There’s no need to frown. I’m this much closer to being out of your hair.”

“I’m not worried about you getting out of my hair.  I’m worried about your back.”

“It’s fine.  I’m fine. And now I get to start moving around on my own.”

“With the progress he’s making, he might start dancing around on his own soon, too,” said Patrick.

The pain left Lorenzo’s eyes, and Alexis was reassured.  His stroked her cheek once more with the back of his hand.  She stood up and backed away so Patrick could take him through his physical therapy.

She left the room, not wanting to see him in such pain.  Lorenzo pushed himself too damn hard. Alexis couldn’t imagine his motivation to walk again. 

The girls were each with their respective fathers for the weekend, so Patrick was able to come by earlier in the day than normal.  Alexis poured herself a drink and walked out to her large patio overlooking the lake. She didn’t know why she was so tense and jumpy, but she was hoping the vodka would take the edge off.

When she finished her second drink, and the sun was setting over the water, she heard the screen door slide open, and the deck creak behind.  Lorenzo rolled himself up next to her in his wheelchair. He had a glass of scotch in his lap. Alexis turned to look for Patrick behind him.

“Where…?” she asked.

“He had to go home.  It’s just us.”

Alexis shivered at the thought.  “I can’t believe you’re moving around by yourself.  That’s pretty amazing.”

Lorenzo smiled bright.  He rarely showed his teeth when he smiled, but his joy couldn’t be contained.  Alexis was almost dizzy from the effect of his stunning, perfect, white smile.

“Cheers,” she toasted.  He tapped his glass against hers, and they both drank in celebration.  She finished her drink and set the glass aside.

“You have a beautiful view,” he said.  “I hadn’t noticed it before.”

“You haven’t had a chance to see much of anything aside from my bedroom.”  

They watched a tricolored egret fly across the lake, shadowed by the setting sun.

“You should see the lake at night.  There are so many stars, and they all reflect on the water.”

He was watching her with those glittering blue eyes.  She was certain of his growing fondness for her now, but she didn’t know what to do with it.

“What?”  she asked, unable to hide her blush.

“You look like you’re feeling better.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You were on edge tonight.”

She didn’t deny it.  

“Why is that?”

“I don’t know.”

“I’m getting stronger.  That should be a good thing for you.”

She nodded and dropped her gaze to her hands in her lap.  “It is.”

“Then why are you bothered?  Maybe you don’t want to see me get better?”

She whipped her head around to face him head on.  “Excuse me? Of all the hours...days...weeks that I’ve...”  She stopped short. He was grinning, teasing her again. She hit him gently on the arm.

“Have you developed some sort of Munchausen by Proxy?” he laughed.  “You need me to be sick.”

“I think I’d have to be poisoning you, or something, for it to be Munchausen by Proxy.  That could be arranged, you know, if you don’t stop teasing me.”

“No, thank you.  Besides, I think most of your cooking would poison me on your best day.”

She hit him again.  “You said you liked my popcorn.”

“I do.  It’s genuinely the best popcorn I’ve had in years.”

“Yeah, the only popcorn you’ve had in years.”

His eyes twinkled at her in confirmation.  He continued in his teasing tone, “Perhaps I’m the one with the mental illness here?  Maybe I’m getting a little Stockholm Syndrome in my captivity and I’m just hoping you want to keep me on my back and in your bed.”

She laughed, “I’d have to be holding you against your will for it to be Stockholm Syndrome.  You have access to a phone and get leave at anytime.”

“Ok then…”  He thought hard, trying to come up with a new psychiatric condition to explain their growing fondness for each other.  “I think I’ve got it...Nightingale Syndrome.”

Alexis laughed again, but this time, it was a little forced.  He wasn’t wrong. Taking care of Lorenzo Alcazar was making her fall for him.  She spoke to ward off his all too observant eyes, “Maybe it’s like I said before, I just don’t like to see you in pain.  I’ve been trying to ease your pain for weeks now, and to see you struggle brings me no joy.”

He thought about it.  “No, can’t be that. If seeing me in pain gets you this worked up, you would’ve been like this non-stop for the last month.  Not a day has gone by without pain.”

Alexis put a comforting hand on his leg and said with all the sincerity she could muster, “I’m so sorry this happened to you, Lo.”

He smiled softly and took her hand in his.  “Me too, for the most part. But the other part of me can’t hate everything about this situation.”  He entwined their fingers and squeezed her hand.

Her heart raced like a hummingbird’s wings.  She thought she might’ve felt a little weightlessness for a moment.  “Maybe this is Nightingale Syndrome,” she admitted impulsively. She blushed profusely, fearful of his response.  

Lorenzo ignored the sunset in favor of her eyes.  “Does this mean that you’ll forget about me as soon as I’m all better?”

She whispered, “Maybe that’s the problem.  When you get better, you’re not going to have any use for me.”

His eyes lost their light, “You think I’d only want you for your usefulness?”

She shrugged.  “Most of my relationships lasted only as long as we were useful to each other.”

“Relationship?” he smiled.

Alexis blushed profusely and turned her head.  She tried pulling her hand away from him to cover her face.  Lorenzo was unrelenting in his grip. She worked up the courage to peek through her lashes and gage his reaction.

“I didn’t mean…” she started.

“Shhh,” he said.  He looked down at her lips and back up to her eyes.  She was certain he was going to kiss her. He licked his lips and dropped his head.  His lips neared, and suddenly, panic tore through her when she thought about what kissing Lorenzo would mean.  She played dirty and stood up, pulling herself away from a man bound to his chair.

“Alexis…”

She shook her head.  “Lorenzo, we can’t do this.  I can’t be talking like this, and I certainly can’t be wanting to kiss you.”

“Why not?” he demanded.

“Why not?  No one can know you’re still breathing, that’s why!  When you get better, you’re going to leave here and never look back!  That doesn’t sound like a relationship to me.”

He shook his head in frustration, “And if I decide not to leave?  If I decide to stay here? Then what?”

“Then what?  Nothing could happen between us even then.  My daughter’s father wants you dead! He tried to have you killed.  You know he’s going to keep trying. I can’t have my children grow attached to you just to lose you.  I can’t have them in danger with the kind of life you lead. I’m the District Attorney for Christ’s sake!”

Lorenzo’s eyes were narrowed in frustration.  She could tell he was looking for a way around her logic.  She kept hammering away reasons they couldn’t be together…

“And then, there’s Sam.  She’s my daughter, Lorenzo.  She killed your son! Could you ever forgive her?  I don’t see how you could. You’ll hold that grudge against her forever.  We’d never have a meal together, much less a birthday or a holiday, or a goddamn moment of peace wondering which of the people I love is going to hurt the other next!”

His head snapped up.  “The people you love?”  Alexis thought it strange how Lorenzo bypassed her words about Diego and Sam, and zeroed in on the word ‘love.’  She wondered if there was something he wasn’t telling her...

She’d save it for another time.  For now, she answered his question, “No, I didn’t mean that.  I’m not saying I’m in love with you. But that’s the kind of woman I am.  I can’t just spend all this time with you, take care of you, kiss you, and then let you go when you’re on your feet.  If we cross that line, I’m not the kind of woman who can separate the physical from the emotional.”

“Good, that’s not the kind of woman I want.”

She shook her head.  “You can’t want me, Lorenzo.  I killed your brother. I stabbed him and pushed him off a fourteen story balcony.  He’d hate you for falling for me.”

“Ok, stop!” he finally gave in.  He scratched his beard with the back of his fingers like she’d seen him do when dealing with the worst kind of pain.  “I get it. I fucking get it. We can’t happen.”

His vehemence took her off guard.  She didn’t realize he had any real feelings for her beyond gratitude and some gentle affection.  “I’m sorry, Lorenzo.”

He rubbed his face in his hand.  “Don’t be. There’s no need. I just forgot who we were to each other.  You’ve dutifully put me in my place.”

Alexis leaned against the rail of the porch and hung her head.  “I really hate seeing you hurt.”

“Don’t worry.  I’ll be on my feet and out of your life soon enough.”  Lorenzo turned in his chair and rolled back into the house.  She forced herself not to help him get through the door.

She turned back to the lake.  It was dark now, and she knew she should get back inside or she’d be covered with mosquitoes, but she wanted to give him a minute to himself.  And, frankly, she needed a moment to compose herself. 

She never expected Lorenzo to be so sweet or so pleasant.  She never expected him to make her laugh. She never expected an Alcazar to want anything to do with her, for that matter.  It was much easier to reign in her nascent attraction when she knew it could never be reciprocated. Now, her racing heart could hardly be contained.

When she was swatting bugs off her arms, she allowed herself to go inside.  All the lights in the house were off, so she went to the bedroom to check on Lorenzo.  He was lying in bed with his arm thrown over his face. She didn’t want to disrupt him, but she couldn’t let her embarrassment lead to his neglect.

“Do you need me to grab you a toothbrush or anything?”

He didn’t remove his arm from his head when he replied.  “No. I’m mobile now, remember? I already fetched my own toothbrush and used the facilities and everything.”

“Oh.”  Wow. He was all of the sudden very determined not to need her.  “Ok then.”

Alexis went to her en suite bathroom and readied herself for bed.  She brushed her teeth, washed her face, and changed into a nightgown.  She took her time, hoping he would fall asleep before she crawled next to him under the blankets.  Part of her though she should sleep in another room now that Lorenzo didn’t need her so much anymore.  He could wheel himself out to find her if something came up.

But what if he fell in the dark?  And Molly and Kristina would be coming home the next night, she couldn’t have him wheeling around the house looking for her with them present.  It was best to stay in bed with him, as awkward as it might continue to be.

She turned off the lights and tiptoed to bed.  She crawled in, hyperaware of the man in her bed, just as she was every other night over the past month.  She moved quietly to try not to disturb him, though she knew from sleeping next to him for so long that he was still awake.

Her natural reaction was to lay facing him, but it was just too awkward after that rejection.  She turned on her back, almost mirroring his position. But that was uncomfortable, too, so she rolled facing the wall.

Alexis told herself she made the right decision; she repeated the thought over and over in her head.  She’d just gotten over the heartache of Ric and Sam, and she was nursing her wounded pride over James Brosnan/Craig’s revelation that he was Jerry Jacks.  She couldn’t do it again. She couldn’t fall for a man who would so obviously break her heart.

Because she was certain that’s what Lorenzo would do.  There was no possible ending in this scenario without tears.  So, she did her best to ignore the sound of his deep, heavy breath and his masculine scent.  And she ignored every impulse coursing through her veins to roll over and take that kiss she so badly craved.

She tried to sleep.  She closed her eyes and tried not to think of his beautiful lips and bearded face dropping down to kiss her...  

Then she thought of how stupid it was to try not to think of Lorenzo.  The more she thought of NOT thinking of him, the more she thought of him.   

“Fuck this,” said Lorenzo apparently losing the same battle.  She heard him move and felt the weight shift on the mattress. A big hand grabbed her arm and rolled her toward him.  She heard him grunt as her body thumped against his chest.

She sucked in a breath and gently caressed his chest where she knew his bullet wounds weren’t fully healed inside, fearful of giving him another injury.  “Are you ok?”

“No,” he grumbled.  He grabbed her face in his hands and said, “I don’t care about Luis or Sam or Diego or your job or my job or anything else.  I just fucking want you.”

Alexis whimpered feeling so helpless in his arms, not helpless out of fear, but self-control.  She knew she should care about all those reasons for saying ‘no,’ but when her face was cradled in his hands and his warm breath caressed her lips, she just couldn’t.

Lorenzo’s body was big and warm and strong, even when riddled with bullets.  He wore nothing but a pair of boxers. Her hands ran over his chest, and for the first time since she took him home, she didn’t just feel his wounds, she felt the the firm muscles and sheer power of the man beneath.  

He pulled her close, and his lips, soft and moist, skimmed over hers.  He was testing the water, giving her a chance to say ‘no,’ to push him away.  

Instead, she leaned in and pressed her mouth against his.  His lips were softer than she anticipated, but his body was hard.  The tickle of his beard only drew her closer. He pulled back only to angle his head and deepen the kiss.  His warm, wet tongue licked between her lips, parting them to get to her mouth. Her tongue was ready, meeting his gently for the first time, licking slow, stifling their eager energy in favor of savoring the moment.  

Lorenzo tasted of scotch and peppermint.  Delicious and mesmerizing. The rest of the world was shut out, and it was just the two of them cradled in each others’ arms, their lips connected, and their tongues caressing.  

What did a future matter when there was now?  When she was kissed by a man who held her like she was the only thing he needed in the world?

His large hand moved down her curves and settled around her waist. The span of his hand around half her body reminded her of just how big he was.  Alexis tangled her fingers in his hair, pulling him tight against her lips, licking deep in his mouth, relishing the feeling of his hands on her body.  

He sucked up her bottom lip and nibbled roughly.  Lorenzo’s cock was hard against her leg. She needed him inside her; she craved the weight of his body between her legs.   She gave an involuntary moan and rubbed against him trying to ease the ache for something more.

Lorenzo pulled aside her nightgown and cupped her breast, filling his hand with her flesh.  He massaged deep in the tissue and she whimpered his name. She couldn’t be fucked, but she could be touched, and she could be kissed, and she wanted more…

His hand moved down to her sex and rubbed over her panties.  His fingers stoked a desperate, achy pleasure soaking the fabric.  

“How many times I’ve wanted to touch you laying here...,” he said against her mouth.  He slipped his fingers beneath her panties and rubbed over her sex. He slid them through her slick folds, and she thrust her pelvis into his hand.  “You wanted it, too, didn’t you? I could feel it.”

She kissed him more to tell him just how much.

“Tell me you want me like I want you,” he said.

“I want you.”  She kissed him again.  “I’ve wanted you for weeks.”

His fingers were somehow fluid and firm, gentle and strong.  She responded to his touch, and he responded to her tells of pleasure by giving more.  

Alexis pulled back from his lips for a breath.  She expected the look in his eyes to mirror the sensations coming from his hand, attentive and passionate.  But his eyes were burning a wild blue, even in the dark; they told her whatever was beneath the surface was far more fervent than he let on with his words and his body.  Alexis couldn’t tell if the look scared or pleased. Either way, it didn’t matter when she started falling apart. She lost herself in the pleasure he gave her, and somewhere in her unfocused periphery, she saw his eyes watch with an acute intensity, a fanatic fulfilling the pursuit of his passion.  

Alexis buried her face in his chest, riding the waves of orgasm.  Her lips kissed the scarred skin pounding with the furious rhythm of his heart.  As she came down, tears were falling down her cheeks, as though her brain dumped a mass of hormones, making her completely vulnerable to the man in whose arms she lay.

Strangely attuned to her needs, he didn’t ask what was wrong when she gave a sniffle and quiet whimper.  He just held her close to his chest and stroked her hair. 

Alexis settled herself with slow deep breaths.  She wiped the tears from her eyes and peered up at Lorenzo.  A gentle expression replaced the wild passion of moments before.  How wrong she was about him. Years of projecting his brother’s identity onto him, and years of blocking out any endearing trait he possessed, had her shaken to the deepest parts of her core.

She shook with another sob as she leaned forward to kiss him again.  He kissed her sweetly back and held her close.

“It’s a lot to take in,” he said.

And damn, he was right.  There was a time she thought she might have hated him, but never did she think she’d care for him like this.  Never did she think he could make her feel so much...that he’d be so GOOD to her.

She wanted him madly.  Her hands dropped to his cock covered by his boxers and grabbed tight.  Lorenzo jumped and grunted at her aggressive need to please him.  His mouth took hers as she stroked his thick, heavy length. When she couldn’t stand it anymore, pulled off their remaining clothes. She lay back down and grabbed his cock again. She brought the tip to her pussy, uncertain which of them she was teasing with the other.

“What I’d do to you if I could, baby,” he said, pulling her close and rolling on his back.   She sat up astride his hips. He reached up to caress her curves from hip to breast. “Just another week or two, and I’ll have you every way you can imagine.”

Alexis smiled as she settled over his cock.  He sucked in a breath when she sank down. “Lucky for us,” she said with a moan, “I really like being on top.”

He laughed, “I never thought I’d say this in my life, but be gentle.  I have plans for you when my legs are stronger, and I don’t want any setbacks.”

Alexis looked at him nervously, afraid she’d break his back.  His sweet smile was reassuring. “Don’t worry,” he said, “I’ve been sleeping near naked next to you for a month.  This won’t take much.”

A giggle bubbled up in her chest.  She bent over him, supporting her weight on her hands on each side of his body, hoping the angle would be less impactful on his spine.  She kissed his chest as she started moving her hips.

Lorenzo was right, it didn’t take long.  She moved slow and gentle over him. His hands gripped her hips so tight, she knew he was fighting for self-control not to take over.  When he came, he squeezed her close, and his hips pressed tight against her. 

She fell asleep in the crook of his arm ignoring her worries about how in the world this was going to end without more pain.


	5. Alarms

Alarms

________________________________________

 

2019

 

Julian was exactly where Alexis expected him to be, wiping down the bar at his pub listening to his drunk sister lament over all her substantial woes over the last year.

“If Kevin hadn’t have really been Ryan, we’d be married and travelling the world. We would’ve found a way to get Avery to come with us, at some point…”

Julian seemed relieved when Alexis interrupted Ava’s latest tirade. 

“Hi,” she said.

“Hey, can I get you something?”

“Ginger ale.”

Julian cringed, “Is your stomach ok? Are you stressed?” He reached for a glass and filled it with ice.

Alexis nodded, embarrassed that Julian knew so much about her drinking habits when she was agitated. Normally, she wouldn’t confide in Julian, but seeing as how her biggest problem at the moment had to do with their daughter, she made an exception. “I just went to visit Sonny.”

“Didn’t go well?” He gave her the ginger ale. 

“He’s drinking and off his meds. It couldn’t be happening at a worse time.”

“He did just lose his wife.”

Alexis was surprised to hear Julian’s compassion. “I typically wouldn’t concern myself with Sonny’s mental health and leave it to Jason or Carly, but Carly is dead, and Jason is obsessed with finding her killer. He doesn’t have his normal support system.”

“But why is it your problem? I don’t mean to overstep, Alexis, but you have your own sobriety to worry about. You can’t be saving Sonny when he doesn’t want to be saved.”

“The problem is I need him sober right now.”

“Why?”

“Because of Sam.”

“Sam? Is she ok?”

Alexis shook her head. “I don’t know. She stressing herself sick over Jason’s grief and her head’s not on straight.”

Julian shrugged sympathetically, “It’s understandable.”

“But not when there’s a killer on the loose with a clear bone to pick with Jason and Sonny. She’s too closely tied to them.”

Julian’s spine stiffened. “You don’t think they’ll go after Sam, do you?”

Alexis buried her face in her hands, “I don’t know. I don’t know. I wish I had some clue who’s doing this.”

“Doing this? Did something else happen?”

She looked up at Julian’s worried eyes. “Sonny was sent a note much like the one Jason received before Carly was killed. The note implied there was going to be three more murders.”

Ava butted in, clearly eavesdropping on their conversation, “I’m sorry, three more murders?”

Since Avery was Sonny’s daughter, Alexis figured it was important for Ava to know, too. “I assume the safe bet is Jason and Sonny are two of those targets, but I have no idea who the third person might be.” Alexis looked back to Julian, “Sam seems the likely target.”

“But who would want Sam dead?” he asked. 

“I don’t know. The killer might just want to hurt her because it would hurt Jason.”

“So, you went to Sonny for help protecting Sam?”

Alexis nodded. “He’s so out of it, Julian. He was completely useless. He’s a sitting duck for an attack. And I tried calling Jason, but he doesn’t answer. I talked to Sam, but she’s more worried about Jason than herself. I went to the police, but since there’s no evidence that Sam might be a specific target, they won’t put officers on her, not that she’d even accept their offer.”

“Then we’ll hire private security.”

“I talked to Max Giambetti. He’s making sure Sam and the kids are taken care of. Kristina and Molly, too.”

Julian reached over and grabbed her hand. “What about you, Alexis?” Julian looked around. “You don’t have any guards on you. What if it’s this Lorenzo Alcazar guy? What if you’re a target?”

Alexis shook her head. “Lorenzo is dead, Julian. He’s gone. And if by some miracle he survived…”

“I’d hardly call that a miracle,” he mumbled.

“...then I highly doubt he’d have any interest in hurting me.”

“How can you say that? You killed his brother.”

“We didn’t part on such terrible terms. Yes, he and I got into it a few times when I was the DA, but he didn’t want me dead. As a matter of fact, he...he saved my life once, both Molly and me, actually.”

Julian shook his head, “What?”

“Ric and I were driving in this horrible storm when I was pregnant. We got into an accident near Lorenzo’s house, and he gave us shelter.”

“That’s hardly saving your life, Alexis.”

“But that wasn’t all. The accident caused me to start leaking amniotic fluid. I got a fever...a terrible infection. I had to get to the hospital, but the storm was so bad, the bridges and roads were closed. He...Lorenzo went out into the storm for me. He tracked down an emergency roadside crew who were able to call in a medivac for me. No one else could’ve navigated his property in that storm like he did. He could’ve died, Julian. I just don’t think THAT man would go out of his way to murder me, especially when he could’ve just let me die there and then if that was what he wanted.”

“I don’t know, Alexis. I’ve been doing some poking around about that family. They were a sick and dangerous bunch.”

“I don’t disagree. Especially Luis and Lorenzo’s son Diego. Hell, even his niece terrorized me for a while.”

“What did she do to you?”

Alexis rolled her eyes, “Stupid things, like shooting blanks at me in a courtroom.”

“And his son, Diego, was the text message killer?”

Alexis nodded. “But they are ALL dead. All of them.”

“Either way, we should have a guard on you, too, Alexis. Whether it’s an Alcazar doing this or not, your the mother of Sonny’s eldest daughter, and a potential target.”

Ava butted in again, “What about me? I’m the mother of his youngest daughter.”

“But Alexis doesn’t pack heat, Ava.”

Ava shrugged and took another drink of her martini. Alexis worried Ava was carrying a firearm in her current state of inebriation. Then again, Alexis couldn’t remember a time Ava wasn’t both drinking and carrying a firearm.

Not her problem. She had enough on her plate.

She turned to Julian. “I’ll take care of myself. Just keep an eye out for Sam and the girls for me, will you?”

“Of course, Alexis. That goes without saying. Look, why don’t I try calling Jason? He might respond to me.”

Unlikely, she thought, but she pulled out her phone and looked up Jason’s number. Julian dialed…

_________________________________

 

“Fair Samantha’s father is calling,” said Spinelli, who looked up the phone number as it showed on the caller ID.

“Send it to voicemail. Alexis probably asked him to call,” said Jason.

Spinelli did as Jason asked. “You don’t think there would be benefit to talking to Alexis about Mr. Alcazar? I mean, now that we know for certain he survived...”

“No! We can’t tip her off that we’re onto him.”

Curtis was able to track down the surviving man who dumped Lorenzo’s body. The guy was in a Mexican prison for running drugs. The man told Curtis about seeing Alexis, who was the DA at the time, down by the docks. She saw them, so they dropped the body and took off to Mexico so Jason wouldn’t come after them for failing to do their job.

Even though that piece of information confirmed that Alexis had an opportunity to save Alcazar, it didn’t prove that she actually did. But Spinelli hacked all Alexis’s phone records and found a text message interaction between Alexis and Patrick Drake. They talked about how they saved Alcazar and helped him escape.

That was all Jason needed to decide Alexis was his enemy. He bugged her house and phone, and he set up surveillance all over her property. If Alcazar got in contact with Alexis, Jason would be the first person to know.

 

****

 

2007

 

“Here...just a taste.” Lorenzo held the fork up to her mouth. She hesitated knowing the burn would inevitably follow. She was certain she could smell the capsaicin in the air. She bit her lip and gave a worried look to Lorenzo.

He laughed, “I didn’t make it that spicy, just try it.”

Alexis took a deep breath and opened her mouth. She leaned forward and accepted his offering. A deep, rich, spicy flavor exploded in her mouth. A buzz stole over her head from the intensity of the taste. But the real fire didn’t hit until after she swallowed. 

“Oh my God.” She sucked in quick breaths to cool her flaming tongue.

“What do you think?” Lorenzo was grinning. He wiped at the sweat beading on her brow. 

When she could find her words, she said, “Delicious...and painful…”

He laughed aloud again. Watching his eyes alight with joy and watching that gorgeous open-mouth smile grace his bearded face made the pain worth it. 

He was smiling a lot more now that he could stand on his own and take a few steps here and there when he needed. He still required the wheelchair, but Alexis was sure they’d be getting rid of it soon. 

She grinned with him as she sipped down her chilled white wine that hardly helped put out the fire in her mouth. Lorenzo took a bite of the Venezuelan stew and sighed in contentment. “I don’t cook much, but there are a few things I learned from home.”

“Did your mother teach you?”

He shook his head and his eyes wandered off into some memory from long ago. “My grandmother. My father didn’t allow my mother to teach us to cook. Boys don’t belong in the kitchen.”

“Was it your grandmother who taught you not to be a misogynist? Because clearly your father didn’t.”

“She did in part, but, honestly, I’m probably still learning.”

Alexis grinned. “I bet having a daughter helps.”

“It does. Very much,” he said with a bittersweet smile.

Alexis thought to the pictures she had printed in her purse. She wondered if now was the time to show him…“You must miss her terribly.”

He nodded, “We were going to make a fresh start. Lila, Skye, and I were all going to Venezuela the next day. We were going to try to make it work as a family. Then…”

“Then Skye betrayed you.”

His jaw was set tight. “It wasn’t the first time she betrayed me. Nor the first time she plotted my murder. I just wanted the idea of a family so much. I knew the kind of person she was, but I took comfort in thinking that accepting Skye and all her moral failings would lead her to accept me and mine. Apparently, two wrongs don’t make a right.”

“What does?”

He seemed surprised by her question. “I don’t know.” His expression softened as he looked in her eyes. He lifted a finger to trace softly down her cheek, “But I might be getting some idea.”

Alexis blushed. “I have my faults, Lorenzo. You know that better than anyone.”

He shook his head, “No, I don’t think I do...not anymore.” He leaned forward and kissed her cheek to emphasize his point. Alexis turned her head to meet his lips. Ever since that first night he kissed her, she’d grown addicted to his lips. 

Now she was buzzed for another reason. 

“I have something for you,” she said, pulling away.

“Another book?” he asked. He’d finished the last three she got him from the library in as many days.

“Wait here.” She stood and left to the living room to get her purse. She did get him some new books, but it was the pictures she had printed that were the real surprise. She grabbed the books and the pictures and went back to the kitchen. 

He was standing over the Dutch oven (as Alexis learned the pot was called) and sampling another bite of the pabellón criollo he made. It still surprised Alexis to see him standing and moving around so much. He turned back to her when she sat down at the table. He sat in his wheelchair and rolled over.

“Legacy of Mesoamerica: History and Culture of A Native American Civilization,” he read the title of the first book. He picked up the second, “Ancient American Civilizations.”

Alexis waited with baited breath…

“I haven’t read either one,” he said. “Score two for you.”

“Good. But we’ve run out of books in the Native Latin American section in the library. We’ll have to start ordering them online.”

“What’s that?” he asked, pointing to the pictures in her hand. 

“Oh, I was at the park near Charles Street yesterday with the girls to feed the ducks at the pond, and they had a friend stop to visit. I snapped a couple of pictures.”

“I bet the girls liked seeing the ducks.”

Alexis handed over the pictures. “So did their friend.” She waiting for his response...

Lorenzo held the pictures of his daughter with the delicateness of holding a newborn. His mouth dropped slightly, and his eyes softened in the sweetest way. 

“Alice was taking Lila Rae for a walk, otherwise, I’m sure Skye wouldn’t have let me near her.”

The pictures were of Lila sitting in her stroller with a delirious smile on her face watching Kristina and Molly feed the ducks. 

“My God.” Lorenzo was in awe. “I don’t think I’ve ever caught her smiling like that in a picture before.” He looked to Alexis with moisture building in his eyes. “Alexis…” his deep voice cracked. 

“You like them?”

“Like them…” A tear fell down his cheek. “They’re perfect.” More tears dropped as he stared transfixed. “I thought I might have to leave without ever seeing her again. Now, you’ve at least given me this.”

After an eternity of staring at photograph after photograph of his little girl, he finally put the pictures down on the table. He looked to Alexis with a fierce gratitude. “I don’t know how to thank you.”

She sighed, “I wish I could bring her here to see you, but there’s no way Skye would allow Lila to have a playdate with the girls given our hist…”

Lorenzo grabbed her hand and pulled her into his lap. He cradled her face in his hands. “I can’t believe you did this for me.”

Alexis tried not to laugh, “Of all the things I’ve done for you recently, this seems the least of it.”

“But it means the most to me.” He kissed her softly. Lorenzo pulled back and traced a finger down her arm, absentmindedly touching her as he spoke; his face was intense and serious. “Skye would rather have me killed than let see my daughter. Yet, you would bring her to me if you could.”

“Of course I would.” She caressed his cheek to soften his expression. He nuzzled against her hand. “You know, you’re not the only one who’s had a daughter taken by Skye. She tried taking Kristina from me when you first came into town.”

Lorenzo nodded. “Skye hated you. We bonded over it.” He sounded ashamed of himself.

“Forget about Skye.” It gave no pleasure to Alexis talking about Skye Chandler Quartermaine, not only because of their own twisted history, but because it just wasn’t pleasant talking to the man she was sleeping with about the previous woman he slept with.

Lorenzo smiled and kissed her softly. His hand ran along her curves as he said, “I’m a man accustomed to holding a grudge against those who’ve wronged me…”

Alexis laughed knowing what it was like to be the object of one of his grudges.

“...but it’s surprising how easy it is to forget about them when you’re around.”

“Really?”

He dropped his head and his lips grazed hers, “Really.” He kissed her softly. His hand dropped to her waist and found bare skin just under her shirt.

“Mmmm.” Alexis lay in his arms and absorbed his attentions. “He cooks, he compliments, he’s great with his mouth...I could really get used to this.” She laughed a moment, but the sound fell short when she realized what she said.

There was no way for her to get used to Lorenzo. As soon as he was healthy...he’d be gone, along with his cooking, his compliments, and his mouth.

“Hey,” he said, nuzzling her temple, “you ok? Where did your head go right now?”

“I was just thinking about how little time we have left.” She kissed his bearded cheek. He hadn’t cut his beard or hair since staying with her. She’d never really been attracted to bearded men before. It was strange what an aphrodisiac it was on Lorenzo’s face.

He nodded and his body tensed. “When I hated you, it seemed you were always around, but now that I’ve fallen for you, you’ll be gone from my life forever. The Fates are bitter, hateful wenches.”

“The unfairness of the situation is maddening.” 

Lorenzo squeezed her against him. “We have some time left. We’ll make the most of it.” He kissed her determined to show her what they could make of their last couple of weeks together. 

Alexis pulled back and confessed a fear racing through her mind, “I’m afraid that if we make the most of this, it’ll only be harder to let go when it ends.”

Lorenzo shook his head, “And I’m afraid of giving you up with regrets of not doing enough.”

She pulled him back against her mouth and kissed him. He was right. She was going to be crazy about him whether or not they were spending their last few weeks making love, and it wasn’t like she had the self-control to resist him anyway.

His hands left her body, but his mouth kept kissing. With a push of his arms, the chair was moving out of the kitchen and down the hall. Alexis unbuttoned his shirt to get to the skin beneath. Her lips dropped to neck, drawn to his soft warmth. He groaned as she licked, sucked, and nipped across his broad, bare shoulders.

“Get on the bed, sweetheart,” he said. 

She hadn’t even realized they were in her room already. She stood up and pulled off her clothes as she crawled on the bed. Lorenzo stood, too, a glorious sight, really, especially when weeks ago she was worried he’d never walk again. Now, he was pulling off his clothes and standing his full height, towering over her as she lay waiting. 

Her pussy was salivating at the sight, as though presenting an offering to some native Latin god, she spread her legs. He crawled over her and dropped his mouth without preamble. He licked up her pussy with what seemed an insatiable thirst. He sucked up her clit pulling more blood flow to her already swollen sex. His tongue massaged up and down, back and forth over the sensitive little bud. 

Lorenzo’s hands beneath her ass were gripping tight, pulling her firmly against his mouth. Her hands dropped to his hair, holding him in place as she rolled her hips against his gorgeous, bearded face. 

He growled in need as she moved, and his audible lust for her made her crave him just as bad. 

“Lorenzo…” she breathed, “come here. I want you.”

She pulled his arm and he obliged laying next to her on the bed. She kissed him once more before flipping her body around and finding his cock straining at full attention. She put both hands around its base and covered his head with her mouth. He grunted when she licked his precum off the tip, then pulled his cock back to her throat.

Alexis felt her hips get lifted by his hands as he rolled on his back. Her legs straddled his face as her pussy dropped to his mouth.

“Oh, God!” she nearly choked on his cock trying to suck in a breath at the shock of pleasure of his mouth on her pussy. She sucked him up again, as he squeezed the cheeks of her ass. 

There was something about getting eaten from that position that just did it for Alexis. Maybe it was the way he sucked her clit in that downward direction, or maybe it was how he licked, starting at her clit and following through to the rest of her pussy.

Alexis massaged his sack as she sucked him deep. He fingered her pussy as he licked her clit. Back and forth they’d go, each of them one-upping the other, wanting to please the other, and getting lost in the pleasure bestowed. 

“You’re quivering, baby,” said Lorenzo. “Come for me.” He fingered and licked until her whole body tensed, and she lost her grip on his cock. 

“Lo!” she yelled as she came, grinding her pussy on his tongue. He sucked up her pleasure, fingering her madly until her pussy settled. 

Although part of her wanted to roll over incapacitated with pleasure chemicals flushing throughout her system, the other more demanding part wanted to make him feel the same. Alexis pulled his cock back into her mouth. She sucked up and down, all the while jerking his base with her hand. His orgasm followed with hot, thick squirts of cum. She swallowed down as much as she could, and milked the rest out with her hands as it shot out all over her face the cotton sheets. Lorenzo was cursing and grunting the whole time.

When he was done, she lay spent on his body, rising up and down with his deep, recovering breath. He eventually pulled her up so she lay in the crook of his arm. His eyes heated as he took in her face. His fingers touched her cheek rubbing his cum into her skin. 

“That is the sexiest thing,” he purred.

She looked at his beard glistening moist with her pleasure. She ran her fingers over the top and couldn’t help her satisfied grin.

“Fuck,” he grunted, grinding his hard cock against her sex. “I already want you again.”

She smiled, “Then take me, I’m yours.”

Lorenzo kissed her, licking in her mouth. The flavors of her pussy and his cock mixed with their natural taste. He hooked her leg over his waist and pushed his cock inside. 

“Mmm!” she moaned, almost set off again.

“Ouch,” Lorenzo grunted. He pulled out and laid down with his face screwed up in pain. “Fuck.”

“Is it your back?” she sat up looking over him.

He nodded. “I’ve been a little ambitious today.”

“Oh, baby,” she caressed his cheek. “I’m sorry. I got greedy.”

“You never have to apologize for that. I just need to build my stamina.”

Alexis pouted and ran a hand over his chest. The muscles of his upper body were getting so defined with all the compensating effort they’d been putting into his recovery. “But the better your stamina gets, the sooner you leave.”

His face fell, “We just can’t fucking win, can we?”

“Maybe...maybe you can stay a few weeks after you’re well.” 

Obviously conflicted, he said, “Maybe. But the longer I stay, the greater the risk, you know that. And not just for me.”

Alexis nodded, defeated. 

“What if we met up in six months or a year? We could meet in Curaçao, or somewhere in the Caribbean and spend a couple of weeks together drinking, making love, talking, fucking, dancing, having sex…”

Alexis laughed, “Can you find a few more synonyms for sex?”

Lorenzo touched the corner of her mouth, obviously appreciating her smile. “I can come up with a few more. Anything to make you happy.”

Her smile faded, “And what if you find someone new? What if you fall for someone else in the meantime?”

Lorenzo shook his head. “If you think that’s even a remote possibility, then you really don’t know me.”

“Loreno...I want you to have a life. That’s what all this was about. Scraping you off the side of the road, enlisting Patrick’s help, nursing you back to health. This was about you having a life, not you pining for one that could never be.”

He shook his head. “You can’t expect me to think of a life without you when you’re naked in my arms, sweetheart.”

Alexis bit her lip. “You’re right. I can’t imagine my life without you in it either.”

Lorenzo’s face fell even further when he realized the consequence of what he was asking of her. “And I can’t ask you to put your life on hold to meet up with me once or twice a year.”

Alexis bit her lip and anxiety built in her chest. 

Aware of her unease, Lorenzo said, “Let’s not think about it right now. The future is going to play out how it’s going to play out. If we get too caught up in what hasn’t happened yet, we won’t be here for what’s happening now.” Lorenzo cradled her face with his hand, “And I don’t want to miss a moment of this.”

He was right about staying in the present, she knew. Especially because there were only two certainties in this situation. The first was that Jason and Sonny were determined to make sure Lorenzo was dead, and Alexis knew that not even putting Jason in prison would keep Lorenzo safe. The second certainty was that Alexis had three daughters, two of which were completely dependent on her, and she could neither leave them behind to run off with Lorenzo, nor could she take them with her. 

So, Lorenzo had to leave, and she had to stay. There were no other alternatives. 

She was going to lose him an a couple of weeks, and fanciful plans of meeting at some point in the future would only keep them holding on longer than they should to something that could never be.

They weren’t teenagers in love for the first time. They were adults, both of whom had their hearts broken before, and had broken their share of hearts in return. They were parents. They would see beyond the present when the time came.

But for now, Alexis kissed him deep and crawled over his hips pulling his cock to her pussy. She eased herself down and started their love making. Lorenzo was moving more and more when they had sex, pushing his body. She’d been anticipating what it would be like the first time they made love with his body over hers, nailing her into the bed, or against the wall, or the floor, or from behind. She couldn’t wait…

A loud, alarm sounded from the other side of the house. The first thing Alexis thought was the police found Lorenzo and panic tore through her...then she remembered she was the DA, and she had no warrants out for his arrest. Then, the smoke detectors throughout the whole house began beeping and Alexis realized...

“The pabellón criollo!” Lorenzo cringed.

Alexis laughed, “At least I’m not the only one to burn something this week.” 

Lorenzo rolled his eyes. “I can’t exactly run in there and turn off the stove, would you mind?”

Alexis teased, “Is ‘off’ lefty loosey or righty tighty?”

He slapped her ass to get her up. “How you manage a house on your own, I’ll never know.”

“You’re one to talk, Mr. Full Household Staff. You’re the one who burned the spicy meat.” She dismounted and picked up her robe off a chair.

“Pabellón criollo,” he corrected again. “Now hurry up before the goddamn house burns down.” 

When she made it to the living room on her way to the kitchen, she found the door was open and a man was coming in…

“Patrick?” She looked at the clock. “We weren’t expecting you until later.” Alexis pulled her robe tighter around her body.

He came rushing in and grabbed her arms. “Alexis, is there a fire? Are you and Lorenzo ok?”

Alexis realized that burning food wasn’t a regular occurrence for most people. Oh, we’re just cooking dinner…” Alexis noticed the front door was broken off the hinges. “Jesus, Patrick, did you break the door down?” 

“I just came in. It was like that when I got here.”

“You didn’t do that?”

Alexis ran into the kitchen and found another intruder in her home. This one had the Dutch oven in the sink, and a cloud of steam and smoke was coming up from the burnt food.

“Ric?”

“Jesus Christ, Alexis. What the hell were you doing?”

SHIT, she thought. SHIT, SHIT, SHIT. “I...I was cooking dinner.”

Patrick moved behind her and started opening the window and doors to get the smoke out. Alexis grabbed a towel to waft the smoke out the door. It hardly took anytime at all for the smoke alarms to quiet down. 

“Why did you break down my door?” she asked Ric.

“I knocked and no one answered. I wasn’t about to let your house burn down.”

Alexis shrugged, “You didn’t need to break down the door. It was just a burnt…” she couldn’t remember what the paba-whatever was called, and she had no clue what the hell else you would cook in a Dutch oven, “...a burnt lasagna.”

Ric laughed, “You’re cooking lasagna on the stove?”

Alexis nodded, completely mortified.

“Why would you even attempt to cook?” Ric’s eyes moved to Patrick, then to Alexis’s state of undress. “Oh...Oh! You’re…” Ric pointed between the two of them.

“No! No. No no no,” said Alexis.

Patrick rubbed his temples in frustration.

“Oh, I see,” said Ric. “This is some kind of secret?”

“No, um, no secret. This is just me cooking,” said Alexis. “For myself. By myself. Patrick is just here to...he just came to talk about...doctor things.”

Ric was obviously not buying what Alexis was selling. 

Patrick came up behind Alexis and put his hands on her shoulders in an intimate gesture. “We’d appreciate your discretion,” said Patrick. “This isn’t a serious relationship, by any means, and we’d prefer to keep our business to ourselves.”

“Hey,” Ric gestured open-handed, “I get it. Believe me, this isn’t a story I want to share about my daughter’s mother to anyone.”

Alexis couldn’t have been more embarrassed. “Why are you here, Ric? Where’s Molly?”

“She’s with Viola at my place. I came over to grab her bag and her Bun-Bun. Viola packed it up, but she forgot to bring it with her.”

“I’ll go grab it.” Alexis was relieved for a reason to leave the room. When she got to the living room, she saw the back of Lorenzo’s wheelchair rolling down the hall to her bedroom. He must’ve followed her out, but heard Ric’s voice and turned back.

Alexis grabbed the bag and Molly’s bunny from her room and went out to find Ric. She wanted him out of her house as soon as possible. She found Patrick and Ric making their way into the living room.

“Here,” she said, handing him the bag.

“Thanks. I’ll be on my way. You need me to fix the door? Or...” he looked at Patrick.

“Nope. I’ll figure it out.” Alexis pushed him to the door.

“Order some take-out next time you want to get romantic, huh?” he said laughing.

Alexis rolled her eyes and gave him a final push out the door. Patrick took a look at the damage as Ric was getting in his car and driving away. 

“The frame is going to need to be replaced,” said Patrick. “We can’t have you without a door tonight. I’ll run to the hardware store and pick up what we need.”

“You know how to fix it?”

Patrick shrugged, “I can probably figure it out.”

“I can do it,” said Lorenzo. He was standing himself up to take the step down to into the living room. Alexis grabbed his wheelchair and brought it down with him. Lorenzo limped to the door and inspected the damage. He gave Patrick a list of materials he’d need from the store. 

“Thanks for covering for us,” he told Patrick.

Patrick patted him on the back. “It was nothing, man.”

“I’m sorry you have to lie for us again, Patrick,” said Alexis

“It’s nothing, Alexis. But I think you should know, Ric was looking at the pictures you had on that table. If I’m not mistaken, they’re of Lorenzo’s daughter?”

“Did he recognize her?”

“I don’t think so. He was standing a good distance away. I think he thought they were Molly or Kristina at first. He was trying to get a closer look, but I picked them up and told him they were mine.”

“He’s probably coming to a whole mess of disastrous conclusions,” said Alexis. 

“I’m sure he was distracted by the burning food and us. He didn’t seem bothered by the pictures, at all. Here.” Patrick pulled the pictures out of his coat pocket and handed them to Alexis. “I’ll be back in an hour with the supplies. Fixing this damn thing will be your physical therapy tonight, Lorenzo.”

“Sure thing,” said Lorenzo. Patrick turned to leave, but Lorenzo stopped him. Just one thing, Drake…”

“What’s that?”

Lorenzo scratched his beard and spoke quietly, “Don’t ever put your hands on Alexis again.”

“Lorenzo!” chided Alexis. He must’ve peered in on them in the kitchen.

Patrick just smiled and put his hands up in surrender. “No problem.”

Patrick left through the broken door and Alexis stood glaring at Lorenzo. Lorenzo ignored her and limped his way over to the couch. He sat in the middle of the sofa.

“Lorenzo! Patrick was just helping.”

“And I thanked him.”

“He’s doing all of this in good conscience. He wasn’t making a pass at me.”

“Good. And I just made sure he doesn’t try in the future. Now get over here. We have an hour. Before he gets back.”

She rolled her eyes. “The last thing I’m in the mood for right now is sex.”

“Yeah, Ric turns me off, too.”

“And so does the threat of being found out! He could’ve seen you, Lo. He could’ve recognized Lila. He’s Sonny’s brother! If he tells Sonny you’re here...”

Lorenzo shook his head. “Ric wouldn’t sell me out to Sonny.”

“How do you know?”

“We worked together more than once. I have enough dirt on him to bury his career and put him in jail for a long time. He wouldn’t risk it.”

“I would think you having dirt on him would only be a motivator to tell his brother since Sonny would try to shut you up for good!”

“Get over here.” Lorenzo patted his lap. When Alexis didn’t come, he brushed off her concerns. “Ric didn’t see me. He didn’t recognize Lila, and hell, I don’t think he’s ever even seen her before. Don’t worry about him, Alexis. Now get your ass over here so we can continue my real physical therapy.”

Alexis stepped in front of him. “You’re minimizing the danger here.”

“And you’re catastrophizing.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her down. She tried not to squeal as she landed straddled on top of him. Lorenzo opened her robe and took in the sight of her naked body. He ran his hands over her breasts with a look of absolute admiration. “See, this is all we need to worry about right now.”

Alexis wondered if he had such an appreciation for women’s bodies in general, or if his attraction was specific to her body. 

“Your tits are perfect, baby.” He rolled her nipples between his fingers.

“Yours aren’t bad either.” She pulled up his shirt over his head so she could grope him the same way. 

His responding deep, chuckling laughter was getting addictive to hear. It helped her stay in the moment the way they planned, rather than allowing her thoughts to race off into their natural state of panic over Ric or over the inevitable loss of the man who so quickly captured her heart.


	6. Reunion

Reunion

________________________________________

 

2007

 

Lila Rae Alcazar looked just like her father. It was more than the black hair and blue eyes, but rather in the shape of those eyes and how they glittered when she laughed. And Alexis was learning that her nose and forehead scrunched up the same way as Lo’s when she was angry, but she screeched like her mother when she cried. Lila was crying miserably sitting in Molly’s convertible car seat in the back of Alexis’s car.

About twenty minutes previous, Alexis noticed Lila and Alice feeding the ducks at the park when she drove by. An idea formed in her head. A stupid idea. A long shot...but worth a try. Alexis pulled into the lot and let the air out of two of Alice’s tires (just in case Alice had a spare). 

Her hope was that Alice would accept a ride home, with a quick detour to Alexis’s house so Lorenzo could catch a glimpse of his baby girl. But Alice thought it best to use a tow service whose expected wait time would make Lila late to meet Skye for dinner. Alexis volunteered to take Lila home to the Quartermaines in time to meet her mother.

Alexis pulled into her drive and got the screaming baby out of her car seat. She bounced her as she walked to the house, “It’s ok, sweetness. We’re going to see your daddy. You wanna see your daddy?”

It had been so long since Lila had seen Lorenzo, Alexis was certain she wouldn’t recognize him at her age and hoped Lorenzo didn’t take it personally. Alexis fumbled around, maneuvering her bag and Lila between her arms in order to find her keys, but it proved unnecessary...Lorenzo opened the door. He must’ve seen her through the blinds. Or perhaps he recognized the cry. 

Alexis almost didn’t notice Lila stopped crying when she saw her daddy because the look on Lorenzo’s face was so captivating. All sweet, soft masculinity, he was hypnotized by the blue-eyed beauty in her arms. Lila reached her chunky arms out to daddy who swooped her up in an instant. 

For a long moment, he just held his little girl, rocking back and forth. Alexis was worried about the strain on his back. Lo had been walking around a lot more, but not carrying much of anything yet. His body’s limitations meant nothing to him in that moment. 

Alexis came in the house and closed the door, locking it behind her. “We have an hour,” she said.

Lorenzo’s big hands dwarfed that baby’s body. He cradled the back of her head and pulled her to his bearded face, kissing her cheek. Lila giggled and grabbed her daddy’s beard with her meaty little hands.

Father and daughter laughing together was the sweetest sound she ever heard, and a beautiful sight. Alexis pulled out her phone and took a few pictures so Lorenzo could have them when he left. 

“How did you manage this?” he asked, wiping tears from his eyes. 

She relayed the story of her automotive sabotage. She expected laughter and teasing at the District Attorney’s devious manipulation, but all she got were tears and a near back-breaking hug with Lila sandwiched in between. 

Alexis broke one of her cardinal rules of lakeside living and let Lila and Lorenzo feed the ducks from the deck. She’d be cleaning duck shit for a month and would hear excessive quacking every morning before dawn, but the joy on their faces was worth it.

Alexis couldn’t suppress a sob bubbling up from her throat at the unfairness that Lila wouldn’t have her father growing up. The man LOVED his little girl. And Lila adored her daddy. Alexis hated Skye in that moment almost as much as when Skye was trying to steal Kristina from her. And she hated Sonny and Jason for what they were doing to the man she loved.

Lorenzo was surprisingly at peace. 

“How are you handling all this so well?” she asked.

He shrugged stroking his baby’s hair. “I just keep thinking that if I stay, Lila’s going to lose her father to a bullet further down the line. If I go, she can get on with a normal life.”

“It’s not fair she has to lose you.”

“I know, Alexis. But, it’s safer for her this way. You of all people understand that more than most.”

“I find it hard to believe you’re giving her up so easily. I can see how much you love her.”

Lorenzo grinned and kissed Lila’s nose. “This little girl is everything to me.” Though his face smiled while he spoke, his voice cracked. “Letting her go is anything but easy.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

He smiled, “I know. I was thinking about taking her from Skye...bringing her with me. But all that would accomplish would be to let Sonny and Jason know I’m alive and I’d have these murderous thugs chasing me across the globe with an innocent baby in my arms. And whatever Skye’s failings, she loves our girl, and Lila loves her mother. I won’t separate them again.”

If Alexis had any reservations about her feelings for Lorenzo at that point, they were completely shattered. She was madly in love with him. She just could see herself being quite as accepting as Lorenzo when it came time to let him go.

When it was time to drop off Lila, Alexis was in a state of anxious depression at the impending loss of the man she loved. Alexis was grateful Monica and Tracy were home to take Lila rather than having to deal with Skye’s wrath, because she didn’t have the emotional energy to deal with it at the time.

Lorenzo had dinner ready for her when she got home, but they skipped the meal. He was desperate to show her his gratitude, and she was desperate to stifle her fears and grief. But making love to Lorenzo didn’t take away her pain, it only magnified it.

“What’s wrong, baby?” he asked as he lay above her filling her full. He wiped her tears and kissed them away.

“I don’t want you to go…” she sobbed.

“I know, baby. I know. I don’t want to go either.”

“I hate them for driving you away.”

He kissed her softly, “And I’m grateful they led me to you.”

Her look of shock had him chuckling, “Don’t get me wrong, I still hate them, too. But if I had to choose between falling for you or never catching that bullet, I’d choose the bullet every time.”

She kissed him passionately. “I love you, Lo.”

“I love you, too, Alexis. More than you’ll ever know.”

 

****

 

2019

 

It was a long damn flight to New York, and an even longer drive to Port Charles. Lorenzo needed a drink to calm his nerves. All he could think of was getting his hands on a good goddamn bourbon. Alexis always had good booze. 

Then again, if she was home when he got there, he didn’t think he’d be up for much of anything aside from living out twelve years of pent up fantasy. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and bury his face in her hair. 

He remembered the last time they made love, it was sweet and heartbreaking and felt so damn good, but his fucking back was killing him. He was held back by that goddamn gunshot wound and never got to fuck Alexis Davis the way she deserved. 

He was about to make up for lost time.

Unless...unless she didn’t want him. Maybe she was seeing someone. Maybe she was married now. Maybe she was just over him.

He needed booze.

Nothing had really changed since the last time he left Port Charles, so why the fuck was he here? Sonny and Jason probably didn’t want him any less dead...and if they thought he killed Carly…

There’d been times he thought about killing her, if he was being honest, especially when that bitch turned a blind eye to his ‘murder.’ He’d given her everything, freedom from Sonny, her mental wellness, the money to buy the Metro Court...and she spit in his face as she embraced his murderers with open arms.

But vague thoughts of wanting her dead were not the same as coming out of hiding and risking his new life to kill a woman to whom he’d grown to almost completely indifferent. 

Only one woman could bring him out of hiding, and it certainly wasn’t Carly Corinthos.

Why did he come? He should’ve left well enough alone. But Alexis sounded so scared. And she sounded so...her.

Twelve years was too damn long. He always knew he’d see her again. He had too much mysticism in his blood to deny the influence of greater forces bringing them together again. At the very least, he always doubted his self-control in staying away.

He had to see her. He had to make sure she was ok. He had to see if what they had was real. If IT was still there.

Lorenzo stared down the driveway of Alexis’s new house. He parked his car down the road in case she had any other visitors. It was a beautiful new home, and seemed even more suitable to her personality than the lake house. But the absence of the lake weighed heavy on his heart. He had special memories of Lila feeding the ducks and of he and Alexis making love overlooking the water.

He walked down her drive and found it empty. He peered through the blinds searching for any sign of movement. All was quiet. He didn’t want to knock in case someone else was home.

Picking her lock was easy enough, but he was disappointed she didn’t have an alarm system on the house. There was a murderer running around Port Charles. He locked the door behind him.

Lorenzo looked around the large living room. It was a much bigger house than the one on the lake. It looked like it was built for a family; he pushed away the sinking feeling in his gut that thought gave him. 

Lorenzo walked through the living room looking at pictures of Alexis and her girls. There was one of Nikolas Cassadine, and a few of a little, blonde boy and baby girl. Grandchildren?

The thought of Alexis as a grandmother made him smile.

There were no pictures of Alexis with a man...

Lorenzo looked through the house to make sure no one was home. He didn’t need any surprises. The last room he checked was the master suite upstairs. It was a large, beautiful room, with a view of the pool instead of a lake, though the hot tub in the en suite was big enough to be considered its own body of water. 

An ease took over him as he snooped through her closet and drawers. No man lived here. It was all HER. It even still smelled like her. He moved to the bed and brought her pillow to his nose. He couldn’t help his sigh at the warmth and familiarity that washed over him.

He wasn’t crazy to think what they had was real, that their years apart somehow glorified their brief time together. The feeling in his chest at being surrounded by her things confirmed just how real their feelings were.

Lorenzo walked back downstairs to hunt for bourbon to settle his exponentially growing anticipation. The living room cabinets were frustratingly dry. He found himself similarly disappointed in the kitchen.

Did his Cassadine woman turn into a teetotaler? 

He grunted and grabbed himself a glass of ice water. He opened the blinds fully so he could see her coming when she arrived. Now he had to sit and wait…

It was four p.m. Courtrooms were certainly finishing up for the day. Unless she had a late client meeting, or was out for another reason, she’d probably be home soon. He debated calling her, but didn’t want to upset her if she was working or with her girls.

He just needed to be patient. He’d been patient for twelve years. He could wait another hour or two...or more.

At least the waiting wasn’t as bad as when he used to wait for her while in pain. Memories of laying in bed hour after hour came flooding back to him, unable to even roll over without her help. He could walk now, thanks to her. He could move however he wanted.

He could fuck however he wanted.

He sat with his leg crossed in a figure four and his body turned toward the front door. He rested his arm and the glass of ice water on the armrest. Condensation was building on the glass, more likely from the heat of his own agitation rather than that of the room. His finger wiped it down and rimmed the edge. 

The clock on the mantle seemed louder than normal clocks. Every tick of the second hand increased his agitation more and more. 

The house was quiet until close to six o’clock. Aside from refilling the near useless glass of water, he’d hardly moved, at all. He sat even more still when he heard a car pull into the garage. His heart hammered like mad to catch of glimpse of the woman he thought of everyday for the last ten years. 

He thought of standing to greet her at the door, but walking in on a man sitting seemed far less threatening than one towering over her. He stayed seated, nearly as paralyzed as he’d been 12 years before.

There she was, walking up to the door. He couldn’t see her clearly through the blinds, but she had a cell phone on her ear, an enormous bag on her arm, and was rifling through her keys to find the right one. Lorenzo couldn’t help a giddy grin at her scattered state of dishevelment. It was exactly how he remembered her.

The door opened and she continued her phone conversation as she shut and locked the door behind her. “I’m sorry, Sam, but you’re his daughter and he has a right to know. If Julian were in my shoes, I’d expect him to tell me if he knew you might be in danger.”

Alexis dropped her bag and keys on top of the cabinets near the front door. She continued, “I can’t stop him from talking to Jason and Sonny about your safety, and I wouldn’t if I could. I don’t think it’s a bad thing to have one more person worrying about you and the kids. Jason and Sonny haven’t been reasonable with me, maybe Julian can get through to them.”

Alexis dropped her head in her hand as she listened. “Listen, cookie. I love you. Julian loves you. Please let us hover, that’s what parents do…”

Who the fuck was Julian? Since when did Sam’s father come in her life?

“Yes, I know you love me, too...Just, please, go easy on your father, he’s already going to be outnumbered with Sonny and Jason...Ok, ok, I’ll let you handle it...I love you...Bye bye.”

Alexis groaned and dropped her phone on the cabinet with her purse. She sighed an exhausted, deep breath as she shed the jacket of her suit. Lorenzo was watching her in profile and took in her long, thin legs in sexy, black heels. She wore a black skirt and a white blouse. Her olive skin and chestnut hair were as beautiful as ever.

She had an ease about her carriage that wasn’t there before. It’s not that she wasn’t tense or stressed at the moment, but she seemed more comfortable in her own skin. Like she knew she didn’t have to be anything other than who she was.

She pulled her shoulders back and stretched them out, trying to rid herself of the weight of the day. After another deep sigh, she turned to walk in the living room. It wasn’t until she stepped down from the entrance that she lifted her eyes and found Lorenzo.

Lorenzo sat absorbing her reaction. She was frozen in place, completely unmoving, her mouth open in shock. And all at once, her body reacted. She sucked in a breath and covered her mouth with a hand. Tears welled in her eyes.

“Lorenzo?” she said breathless.

Lorenzo put his glass down and stood his full height. Something about that beautiful woman’s presence made his shoulders stand at attention and his chest puff up.

“Alexis.” He couldn’t help the deep rasp in his voice when he spoke to her.

“What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be dead. You were supposed to stay dead.”

He stepped forward several feet, craving proximity, but fearful of scaring her off. “If I’m supposed to be dead, then why do I feel more alive now than I have in twelve years?” 

His body was raging with life standing in front of this woman. He wanted to touch her. He NEEDED his hands on her, his mouth on her. He clenched his fists at his sides to hold himself back until she was ready.

“Lo…” her voice whimpered the way once did when they made love. She looked him up and down. The first glance seemed like a confirmation he was really there and not some figment of her imagination. Then her eyes roamed over him a second time, this time, much slower. He recognized her dark, hooded look, the flush of her cheeks, and her tongue moistening her lips.

She was ready. And he was done waiting.

Lorenzo had her in his arms in two strides. Their bodies collided with a force that took his breath away, or maybe it was just the look in her eyes that stole his air. He fisted her hair and angled her head so his tongue could reach deep in her mouth.

“Ohhh!” She was right there with him. Her soft, delicate hands were on his cheeks, holding him tight. Her touch was like a whisper of silk on his leather-hardened skin. Her mouth, her hands, everything about her lit him on fire.

He needed her body bare against his. Before he realized what he was doing, scraps of her shirt were falling from his hands. Alexis whimpered and pulled his open too, buttons flying across the room. Lorenzo discarded the shirt from his shoulders as her hands ran their silken trail over his chest and around his back. He somehow stayed upright, even with weak knees from her touch.

Lorenzo unsnapped her bra and yanked it off. He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back in, moaning into her mouth, licking deep, as their bodies collided. Her skin was much softer than he remembered, or maybe he was the one who was harder. Her spine was firm, but her skin so delicate. Her plush tits pushed against his hard body. He realized he must’ve changed dramatically with all the physical work he’d done the last few years in the Incan ruins. 

Lorenzo needed to feel the rest of her. He needed to squeeze her ass in his hands to find out if it would still make her roll her hips against him. He needed to bury his cock in her cunt to see if she still quivered right before she came. 

He dropped her skirt and her panties and he kicked off his shoes and socks. She removed his belt, and a moment later, their bodies were completely bare and pressing together. He couldn’t keep his mouth off her. This time, when he grabbed her ass, her leg lifted and wrapped around him, her heel scraping the back of his thigh. 

Lorenzo bent and lifted her legs around his waist. His cock rubbed on her pussy, coating itself with her arousal. He lay her down on the couch, and as difficult as it was to pull away, he stood looming over her. He’d been having fantasies for years about seeing her as he once did, laying below him, legs spread and inviting. 

Alexis’s pussy was a bright pink, swollen, and nearly vibrating with need. It glistened from her arousal, sparkling in the fading light of day. He remembered being buried balls deep in her pussy. He remember how she squeezed him, how she rode him. He waited twelve years to feel her again. He took a moment to savor the WANT, the desire overflowing from the dam he built up when he left. He knew when he pushed inside her again, the dam would break and he’d never allow himself to rebuild it again. He couldn’t go through that twice in his life.

Her eyes were trained on him, looking at every inch of his body. And, God, the way she looked at him...he could almost believe she felt the same way.

A needy, whimper sounded from her mouth, and her hips rolled in the air, showing him what she needed. Her hands squeezed her tits as though trying to ease her ache for him. “Lorenzo…” she moaned.

His self-control was gone. He dropped and shoved his cock in her hot, wet, waiting pussy. “FUCK!” he yelled. “Too fucking much.” She was too much! 

Her already quivering cunt was squeezing his dick...she was so close to coming and they just started. Hell, he was close, too, but it didn’t matter. He needed to fuck her without holding back, without inhibition. He was never able to before, and he’d dreamed of nothing else since.

His arms wrapped around her, pulling her tight to his chest, lifting her from the couch as his tongue invaded her mouth. He pulled back his hips and hammered her cunt. The texture of her sweet pussy created the most glorious friction for his dick. Over and over he pounded, driven harder and faster by her moans and screams, so damn loud and uninhibited.

His dreams over the last twelve years were faded, dull musings of what was to come. Real life sensations were overwhelming his consciousness, her taste, her smell, her feel, her sounds, her beautiful face thrown back in rapture. He couldn’t have imagined her like this because his mind would never have known the intensity of how it could be.

He tried moving faster, he tried moving harder, not because he wanted to, but because he NEEDED to. He squeezed his arms tighter, desperate to get closer, desperate to fuse with her. Her nails were scraping his back, and her heels dug into his ass. He sucked up her tongue, never needing someone to kiss him like he needed it from her. 

It was her orgasm that set him off. Her pussy clamped down on his cock, and she buried her face in his neck screaming his name. She squeezed so hard she was pushing him out, but he shoved back in over and over. Lorenzo lost himself and released a loud, guttural grunt in her hair. He was in absolute transcendent euphoria. From his cock to his chest to his head, his body shook in pleasure. His cum exploded in her cunt as he pushed in and out. He could feel it coating his dick, dripping from her pussy. That’s where his cum was meant to be! Deep in his woman, further inside than even his fingers or cock could reach. He want to put more in her pussy, and more in her mouth, and more in her ass. He wanted to shoot his cum all over her body and then fuck her again.

Fuck, he still wanted her. His stuttering rhythm slowed, but didn’t stop. He was still hard for her. His hips settled into a more languid pace as his eyes found hers, dark brown and mesmerizing. Tears were filling those gorgeous eyes. He understood because they were filling his, too. An obstruction took root in his throat, making it hard to find air. Pressure built behind his eyes and the tears threatened to fall.

“Lorenzo…” her voice cracked. “You’re here. I can’t believe you’re here. You’re here.” It was as though she was just starting to believe it, as if her orgasm presented her with the truth. Her hands were on his face, touching his cheeks, testing reality. He wondered if she was looking for traces of his beard. It had been years since he grew it out. His beard was too hard for him to keep with the absence of her fingers running through it. Now that she was in his arms again, he’d grow it back for her.

“I’m here, baby.” He pulled her up to straddle him sitting on the couch. She picked up the same languid rhythm riding his cock. Her tits pressed against her chest, bouncing up and down with her body. “I’m fucking here.” He kissed her neck. 

“I never really thought I’d see you again.”

“I never really thought I could stay away.”

Her fingers ran through his hair, shorter than it ever was when he left. “You’re beautiful,” she said. “You’ve changed, but you’re as beautiful as ever.”

“Oh, baby. You have no idea.” His hands ran up and down her perfect body, more perfect than before. “The moment I heard your voice, I knew I had to come. I couldn’t stay away. I can’t believe I lasted twelve years.”

“So long...too damn long.” She spoke between ragged breaths.

“I’m not leaving again. I’m not going any-fucking-where.”

He fisted her hair and brought her to his mouth. Her ride never faltered. He wondered how long he could keep his cock inside her. The only thing he could imagine taking it out for was to put his tongue inside.

Alexis picked up her pace making her tits bounce against him. He dropped his head to suck up a lush, pink nipple. She cried out and threw her head back. God, her skin was soft and full. His hands squeezed her malleable swells as his mouth moved from one to the other. 

Alexis tensed and quivered as she rode, coming hard again. Lorenzo never had to “make” her come. He just took his pleasure with his mouth, his cock, or his hands, and the woman fell apart. Sex was EASY with her. She was made for him. They just FIT. 

He didn’t let her rest. They already had twelve years of rest. He sealed their mouths together and he stood with her legs wrapped around him. He moved around to the side of the couch and rested her ass on the arm. His cock was still buried deep and hungry for more.

He stood there holding her body in his hands, and looked her over. Though the essence of her was still the same, much of her really had changed. She was all softness and ease. He knew that ease had to come from an inner strength. He wondered what she’d been through in the last decade to build that strength. Strength never came without pain.

“I missed you, Alexis Davis.”

Her face softened as she gave a small, dimpled smile. She held his face and gently kissed his lips. “Oh, Lorenzo. I missed you, too.”

He pushed his cock in and out. “I’ve been lost without you. You fill an emptiness in me like no one ever has.”

She laughed, “I think you’re the one filling me me up right now.” She squeezed his cock with her sex.

He pushed in again, “I’ll fill you now, and later, and tomorrow, and every day after.”

“Ohh!” she moaned, kissing him again. “Your mouth is the same.” Her lips touched his again. “And so are your eyes.”

“And this?” he pushed his cock in and out again.

“Mmmm, better. Even better.”

He laughed, “Not having a bullet wound in my spine helps.” 

“Indeed, it does.” She kissed his scars on his chest. A tense look took over her eyes. “It’s more dangerous for you here now than ever, Lorenzo. Why did you come back?”

He cupped her cheeks in his hands, “A life without you and Lila Rae wasn’t a life, at all.”

Tears formed in her eyes, “You were supposed to find someone, fall in love, move on.”

He shook his head. “It’s hard to find someone else when all I’ve been looking for was you. I love you. I never stopped loving you.”

“Lorenzo…” 

His arms wrapped around her body, hugging her tight. He fucked her again and again. “I’m going to make you fall in love with me again, Alexis. I swear it.”

“Oh, Lo...I already am in love with you.”

He stopped moving to listen intently. “You still love me? After all this time, you still love me?”

“Of course, I do.”

His forehead dropped to hers. “I’ve never done a thing in my life to deserve you.”

“You saved my life.”

“And you saved mine.”

He kissed her again and made slow, sweet love to her, deliriously happy, and more hopeful than he’d ever been in his life.

 

___________________________________

 

Spinelli had been trying to call Jason for an hour, but he wasn’t answering. He stared at the surveillance footage of Alexis’s house and dropped his head in his hands. “This isn’t going to end well.”


	7. Revealed

Revealed

________________________________________

 

2007

 

Her voice was weak when she asked, “Have you decided when you’re leaving?” 

Alexis lay naked on her belly on a soft bed of blankets on the deck. The glistening lake was illuminated by the midday sunshine. Lorenzo languidly licked the sensitive skin on the backside of her knee in his quest to dote on every surface of her skin. 

Her attention was pulled back and forth between his tongue and his impending departure. He was healthy enough to leave Port Charles now. It was going to happen any day, and the dread of loss weighed heavy on her heart.

“Stop torturing yourself, Alexis. Just enjoy the moment. You’re going to miss out on what little time we have left if you spend it ruminating on the end.”

She looked over her shoulder at him with a pained expression. “How do you do it, Lo? How can you stay in the moment, knowing the end is coming so soon? We’re never going to see each other again.”

Lorenzo didn’t stop his ministrations to her sensitive skin. He just moved over to the other leg and transferred his attentions there.

“Lorenzo…” she pleaded, though uncertain if it was because she wanted him to stop or to give her more.

He looked up with an expression of mild irritation. “Baby, I don’t know when I’m leaving…” The irritation quickly faded and sadness stole over. “I just need a little more time. I need a little more...you.”

Alexis rolled over and sat up, trying to fight the tears filling her eyes. The premature pain of losing her love was all too acute and at odds with their gorgeous, sunlit surroundings. Lorenzo sat with her, intertwining their limbs, pulling their bare bodies together. 

“It’ll never be enough,” she said. “You know it’ll never be enough, and then, you’ll be gone.”

“It won’t be enough, I know, but…” his voice cracked, and he sucked in a breath to help finish the thought, “but if I taste you enough...if I touch you enough...maybe I won’t forget in a year...in ten years. I’m not pretending the end doesn’t exist; I’m just preparing my mind to relive as many memories of you as I can.”

“How many memories will be enough?”

“I don’t know. But enough for the rest of my life.”

The pressure behind her eyes broke, and the tears fell. A sob left her lips. “Lorenzo…”

He kissed the droplets running down her cheeks as though he needed to know the flavor of her tears. His lips found their way to hers, and she could taste her salted heartache on his tongue. 

“More,” he groaned. “I need more.”

He laid her back on the blanket and pushed inside her. She held him close, trying to fuse their bodies, terrified of a life without him, knowing it was inevitable. He held her head still as they made love. He looked into her eyes, pale blue lost in deep, dark brown. 

“More,” he demanded with quiet intensity, pulling out and pushing back in. “I’ll always need more.” Out and in. “And if we had forever, I’d demand a few more of those, too.”

“It still wouldn’t be enough.”

“Then I’ll keep taking more.” 

Lorenzo’s eyes didn’t leave hers. For long minutes he watched her with fixated intention while he loved her, his blue irises so stormy, tumultuous waves of angst crashed and swirled around his dark pupils. 

He was unfaltering in his pace and devotion until she could see the telltale signs of pain flaring in his back: shaking limbs, irritated grunts, and brief disconnects of his gaze. He would’ve kept going, but she forced him on his back to prevent a strain. 

She rose over him and took over with the same pace. They weren’t searching for orgasm, though it would inevitably come...beautiful, natural, and profound. They only sought that fundamental connection of lovers, the most unlikely of lovers, for whatever time they had left. 

 

__________________________________

 

“Who’s there?!” a man’s voice yelled from the trees.

Alexis nearly jumped out of her skin. Lorenzo’s arms tightened around her in protective comfort. 

“It’s Patrick,” he said soothingly. 

The sun had just set over the water, and Alexis and Lorenzo lay curled together wrapped in soft blankets on the chaise. Her tension eased only minutely by Lorenzo’s reassurances.

“Come here,” said Lorenzo. He stood, pulling Alexis with thim. Keeping them both wrapped in the blanket, he guided her inside and to her room to don appropriate attire. They dressed quickly and came back out to the living room as Patrick was coming in through the back door.

“What was that about?” Lorenzo asked Patrick.

“I thought I saw something in the bushes near the back deck.”

“Someone was here? Watching us?” said Alexis. She sucked in a breath, fear jolting her heart. “Lorenzo, what if they recognized you?”

“Did you find anyone?” said Lorenzo.

Patrick shook his head. “It must’ve been wildlife. There weren’t any cars around, and I searched the area thoroughly.”

Lorenzo visibly relaxed, but Alexis wasn’t comforted. 

“We shouldn’t have been out there in broad daylight,” said Alexis. “What if someone saw you?”

“You heard Patrick, no one was there.”

“This time, but what about the next time, or the next? My daughters’ fathers come into this house too frequently to risk you being seen. We need to be more careful.”

Patrick stepped forward and looked between his friends with a grave expression, “Lorenzo...Alexis...I hate to say it, but...I...I think it’s time. Your back is strong enough, and you don’t need me to walk you through physical therapy anymore.”

A whimper escaped her lips as Alexis started realizing just how soon her time with Lorenzo would end.

Lorenzo took her in his arms, one hand around her back, the other cradling her head. She wasn’t ready. It was too soon. She needed more time...just a couple more forevers.

But the reality of Sonny finding Lorenzo alive would mean that Lorenzo wouldn’t be alive much longer. He had to go...and it had to be soon.

 

****

 

2019

 

There was a scent in the air at Sonny’s house that never sat right with Julian. Coffee, moss, and cheap flowers. It wasn’t altogether THAT appalling; it was just very ‘Corinthos.’ 

But today, the typical Corinthos smell was mixed with another...metabolizing alcohol. 

When Julian walked into Sonny’s living room, Sonny’s brother, Ric Lansing, had Sonny by the arm and was half carrying him to the couch. By the smell and his state of obvious inebriation, Sonny must’ve been drinking for days. 

Julian withheld a groan of frustration as Sonny collapsed on the couch. Sonny was going to be useless protecting Sam and the kids. This was the first time Julian truly regretted giving up his business. He gave everything up to not only be without Alexis and Sam, but to be of no use to any of them.

“What the fuck do you want, Jerome?” slurred Sonny as he sat. 

Julian stepped closer, but not too close...the asshole reeked cry. “I’m here to see what you’re doing about Sam’s protection.”

Sonny rolled his eyes, “Jason is her protection. What the hell else does she need?”

“Sonny,” said Ric, “Jason’s handling Carly’s investigation, remember? Max has some men guarding Sam and the kids.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“What the hell, Corinthos?” said Julian. “You don’t even know who your men are guarding? Sober the fuck up, get on your meds, and get over yourself!”

Ric stepped between his brother and Julian. “Back off man. He just lost his wife.”

“A wife he nearly killed more than once himself.”

“Fuck you, Julian,” said Sonny. His eyes were half-closed and head was bobbing like he was fighting to stay awake.

Ric turned to Julian and said, “You should get out of here. I’ll make sure Max is protecting Sam and the kids.”

“Yeah, asshole, like I’d trust you around my daughter.” Julian knew exactly what split up Alexis and Ric’s marriage. “And I still need to talk to Sonny about Alexis and her safety. If there’s a possibility Lorenzo Alcazar’s involved…”

“Alcazar?” said a woman’s voice behind Julian. Jason and Sam were walking in the room together.

“Hey, Sam.” The sight of his daughter always gave him a flare of excitement, a small bit of hope that they could one day be close like they once were. “How are you?”

Sam ignored his question. “Why are you talking about Alcazar? He’s dead. They’re all dead.”

“You’re probably right, but we can’t rule Lorenzo Alcazar out without a body.” Julian turned to Jason. “Unless you have some idea where we can find his remains?”

Jason’s stoic expression never changed. The man was cement.

“Cut it out, Julian,” said Sam.

“Look, I’m just here to make sure Sonny and Jason have adequate security on you, the kids, and Alexis.

“My family’s welfare is none of your business.”

“You are MY family, Sam. It is my business.”

“Julian, you’re only family to Sam when it’s convenient for you,” mumbled Sonny. “Like when you hid behind her son like a coward.”

“And hiding behind a bottle of bourbon is your standard of courage?”

Ric interjected, “Would you two take this outside? Sonny doesn’t need to hear all this hostility.”

“When did you appoint yourself Sonny’s caretaker, Ric?” said Sam. “You disappear for years at a time, and think you can come here and dictate what happens in Sonny’s house?”

“I’m Sonny’s brother, and none of you seem to be giving a shit about what’s best for him when he’s unwell, so it falls to me.”

“I don’t need you taking care of me,” said Sonny.

This was getting nowhere. Julian was about ready to pull out his hair.

“Someone needs to, Sonny,” said Ric. “You’re not taking care of yourself. You haven’t even seen Avery in days.”

“Where is my daughter?”

“She’s with Ava,” said Jason.

Julian scoffed, “Exactly where she belongs when her father’s obviously not in a state to take care of her.”

“Shut up, Jerome!” said Sonny.

With all the yammering on in the room, Julian hardly noticed Spinelli timidly enter. It wasn’t until Spinelli started raising and lowering his hand to try to get Jason’s attention that Julian took notice. 

“Pardon...pardon,” said Spinelli. “My apologies.” He addressed Jason. “Can I speak with you privately?”

Jason nodded and stepped toward Spinelli. Sam grabbed Jason’s arm to stop him.

“Do you have new information?” she asked Spinelli. “What’s going on?”

Spinelli deflated in shame. “I’m afraid I need to talk to Jason alone, and rather urgently.”

“Urgently? What’s going on?”

“What’s so urgent?” said Ric. “Do you have information on who killed Carly?”

Spinelli cringed and looked to Jason.

Sonny stood clumsily and pointed at Spinelli, “Do you know who killed my wife?”

“No. No, I’m afraid I’m not exactly certain about that, but I have information that might help us discover the truth…”

“Don’t, Spinelli,” Jason demanded.

“What do you mean, ‘don’t?’” said Sam. “What information do you have?”

“I think my brother deserves to know what you’ve found out,” said Ric.

“Yes, but…” Spinelli looked to Julian, “the means in which we gathered the information are…”

“Just tell us what you know!” said Julian. 

Spinelli looked to Jason. “The cameras we set up confirmed our suspicions. He’s there now.”

“Damn it!” Jason gestured angrily in a rare moment of uninhibited expression.

“Who? Where?” demanded Sonny. “You’re keeping information from me?”

“From all of us,” said Sam. Moisture filled her eyes.

“He had his reasons,” said Spinelli in a conciliatory tone. “Sensitive reasons.”

“What could be so sensitive that you can’t talk to me? Or to Sonny?”

“I’m sorry…” he said, but turned to Jason in the same breath. “He’s there now, Jason.”

“Who?!” demanded Sonny. “Where?!”

Jason looked at Sam when he said, “Lorenzo Alcazar. He’s at your mother’s house. She’s been helping him.”

“Wait...What?” said Julian.

Sam was shaking her head. “That’s ridiculous. My mother hated the Alcazars, she’d never help them. And they’re all dead.”

“Um…” Spinelli said softly, tentatively. “Actually, we found out your mother and Patrick Drake saved Lorenzo Alcazar in 2007, and then helped him flee the country undetected. She called him after Carly was killed alerting us to their connection. Jason and I set up cameras in and around her house, and they recorded Alcazar arriving earlier today. He picked a lock and made his way into her house. He’s there now.”

Sam stepped forward, “Picked a lock?! She wouldn’t help an Alcazar, Spinelli; he’s probably there to kill her!.”

“Ha…yeah no…” he stuttered. “When she came home and found him, she wasn’t what I would call ‘displeased’ to see him. And he didn’t exactly hurt her.”

“What do you mean? What happened?”

Spinelli was sympathetic as he said, “They...they engaged in...intercor...in...sexual congre... They…” he motioned with his hands, bringing them together, “...they...you know?”

“No,” said Julian. He couldn’t believe that.

“Spinelli,” demanded Sam, “what if he was forcing himself on her? What if he was raping her? We need to get to her!”

Julian’s heart jumped in his throat, and he stepped forward to grab Sam by the shoulders. He would destroy Lorenzo Alcazar if he hurt a hair on Alexis’s head, but he also couldn’t let his daughter barge her way into the presence of such a dangerous man.

“Show us the tape, Spinelli,” said Jason. “Let Sam see. Let Sonny and Julian see what Alexis has done.”

Spinelli hesitated, “But Jason...it’s very explicit.”

“Put it on. I need to confirm it’s Alcazar anyway.”

“Jason, I knew Lorenzo Alcazar myself, remember? How many times did he try to kill me? It’s him.”

Julian took feeble deep breaths to manage the panic racing through his body that Alexis was caught up with this man...a man with the audacity to try to kill Jason’s best friend. Even Julian wasn’t stupid enough to try that.

“Put the damn thing on!” said Sonny.

Jason nodded to Spinelli, “Put it on.”

Spinelli whimpered pathetically as his body moved into action, unable to resist the directives from Sonny and Jason. He turned Sonny’s television on and set up his phone to mirror the screen. Julian watched Spinelli pull up an app and open a file with a nondescript numerical title. In a moment, video of the house Julian built for Alexis was onscreen, and Spinelli was rewinding to earlier in the day.

“Here,” said Spinelli. “This is him arriving at the front door. When he picks the lock, we’ll get a clear picture of his face.”

Julian had never met Lorenzo Alcazar before, and was waiting for one of the others in the room to confirm his identity. Spinelli paused on the man’s face. The man was tall and broad, maybe around Julian’s age. His spine was straight with a confident, borderline arrogant set. He looked like a man who’d seen some sun over the years, making his blue eyes stand out on the clear feed. 

“He gets in and searches the house…” Spinelli showed Alcazar going from room to room, finally ending up in the living room sitting on the couch facing the door. “He stays there for hours just waiting for Alexis to get home.”

The feed was sped up again, and Alcazar was almost unmoving the whole time. Finally, Spinelli slowed the tape to regular speed. He turned up the volume as he said, “And here she is…”

Alexis’s voice carried over the speaker as she talked on the phone, “Listen, cookie. I love you. Julian loves you. Please let us hover, that’s what parents do…Yes, I know you love me, too...Just, please, go easy on your father, he’s already going to be outnumbered with Sonny and Jason...Ok, ok, I’ll let you handle it...I love you...Bye bye.”

Alexis dropped off her things and stepped down to the living room. Shock played over her face when she noticed the man in her house.

“Lorenzo?” 

Alcazar stood tall and menacing. Julian’s heart was thrumming in his chest. 

“Alexis,” said Alcazar, his voice raspy. Was that meant to be threatening?

“What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be dead. You were supposed to stay dead.” Julian couldn’t read Alexis. He hoped the quiver in her voice wasn’t fear. Then again, he didn’t want it to be anything else, either.

“If I’m supposed to be dead, then why do I feel more alive now than I have in twelve years?”

“Lo…” 

They stood staring for long moments. And in a flash of movement, the two collided onscreen, kissing, groping, moaning, tearing at each other’s clothes. Alcazar was rough with her...he obviously knew Alexis...knew her body.

“Shit,” said Julian, “God, Alexis.”

“We’ve got to get over there,” Sam stared transfixed at the screen. “He’s forcing her. He’s obviously...He’s…”

Even Sam couldn’t deny Alexis was giving as much as she took. Julian looked to the other men in the room, two of them knowing Alexis as intimately as he did, all faces covered in disappointment.

Spinelli sped the feed to hear a conversation. They were lazily fucking...no...not fucking...that look in their eyes...they were making love.

“I missed you, Alexis Davis,” said Alcazar.

“Oh, Lorenzo. I missed you, too.”

“I’ve been lost without you. You fill an emptiness in me like no one ever has.”

Sam grabbed the remote and turned off the tv. “That’s enough.”

Sam sat on the coffee table and stared at the blank screen with defeat in her eyes. Julian, gutted seeing the love of his life make love to another man, sat next to her. 

“Jason,” said Sonny, in a dark, low voice, “let’s go. Now.”

“What are you going to do?” asked Sam.

“Stay out of this, Sam,” said Jason. 

“That’s my mother! How do you expect me to stay out of this?”

“Alcazar killed Carly. If your mom is helping him…”

Julian stood, knowing where this was going.

“Jason,” Sam pleaded, “I won’t let anything happen to my mom. Send the police to pick up Alcazar.”

“Don’t ask me to do that, Sam.” 

Knowing Jason wouldn’t leave Alcazar to the police, Julian needed to make sure Alexis wasn’t a casualty. 

“Jason…” Sam stepped to him, pleading. “Keep my mother out of this.”

Julian backed away to the door. All eyes in the room focused on Sam and Jason. No one noticed him slip out. He moved quick and purposeful to his car, but not running too fast to attract attention. 

Once on the highway, he pulled out his phone and tried calling Alexis…

 

______________________________________________

 

“You’re here,” said Alexis, again. Her hands gripped his warm body, trying to convince herself he was real. Too many times before it was a dream.

“I’m here.” He lay over her in bed, caressing her cheeks with his lips over and over and over. 

“I shouldn’t be so happy about it. This is the worst possible time for you to come back. It hasn’t been so dangerous since you left.”

“You should be happy I came back. If I’m risking my neck, let your joy make it worth it.”

She squeezed her legs around him, pulling him close. Physically incapable of more sex, it didn’t stop them making love with the rest of their bodies.

“I was a fool to wait so long,” he said, kissing down her neck. “I should’ve come back years ago.”

“There were reasons you didn’t come back, Lorenzo. Your safety aside, you were supposed to make a life for yourself.”

He scoffed as he licked and kissed down her chest. He kissed the hollow just below her sternum, and inhaled the scent of her skin. Lungs full, he paused, savoring, then exhaled painfully. His eyes flickered up to hers filled with moisture. “When you’re here like this with me...I can’t see the purpose of our separation. I can’t see any reason to endure losing you for so long.”

“You didn’t lose me, Lo.”

“I think, maybe, it was purgatory. Penance for my sins.” His eyes were far away, and a knot formed on his brow. “If I’m to find meaning in my suffering, I guess that will have to do. And now that I’ve suffered enough, St. Peter’s finally opened the gates.”

“Our separation wasn’t about absolving your sins. It was about keeping you alive. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you because you stayed for me.”

He looked at her with so much tenderness. “You’d be worth it.”

She thought her heart might burst. It was almost painful to feel so much for this man. 

“Tell me about the ruins,” she said, searching for distraction from his intensity and trying to find something worthwhile in their separation.

“There were pretty, old rocks, ancient dead bodies, and plenty of broken things.” His mouth covered her breast, pulling her nipple deep, licking the tip as he sucked up her flesh.

“Ohmm...” He was still so damn good at that. He clearly kept up his skills in their years apart. The thought make her stomach turn. She had to ask, “Can I ask you a question?”

“Anything.”

“Did you...did you fall in love with anyone while you were gone?”

He lifted his head and looked playfully in her eyes. “What do you think?”

She shrugged, “I don’t know. You’ve been gone a long time. I can’t imagine a lack of women fawning over the Latin American Indiana Jones.”

Lorenzo barked out a laugh, “Latin American Indiana Jones?”

She shrugged, still fearing the answer, knowing she had no right to hope for his misery.

“No, sweetheart. I didn’t fall for anyone else.” His face turned dark. “I had some companionship here and there...but they weren’t...they weren’t you.”

He shook away the thought, and went back to kissing her chest. She ran her fingers through his hair as he doted. 

Tension filled his body before he pulled his head back and looked at her with a fearful hope in his eyes. She anticipated why, and her body tensed along with him. “How about you?” he said. “Did you fall in love?”

She chewed her bottom lip trying to figure out how to explain.

“I see,” he said, disappointment obvious despite his efforts to conceal the reaction. “I expected you would. I hoped for it even...at least, a part of me did. You didn’t deserve to be lonely all these years.”

“I was married for a time. A very brief time.”

“When?”

“Sam’s father came back into our lives about six years after you left.”

He wasn’t meeting her eyes. Instead, his attention was acutely focused on tracing the shape of her breast, tracing the nipple, areola, and the larger swell. “You loved him?”

“Yes.” Her voice was a whisper, knowing how hurt she’d feel if it was Lorenzo who’d fallen in love.

His eyes lifted, “Do you still love him?”

“Not like this.” Alexis ran her fingertips down his cheek. “Julian and I have history and family together, but...but there’s a lot of pain, too.”

“Why aren’t you married anymore?”

Alexis laughed, “A long story.”

His hand traced over her abdomen, a little rougher than she remembered, calloused from his work in Peru, but still just as gentle, just as loving.

“We have all the time in the world, Alexis,” Lorenzo smiled. “I’m never leaving you again.”

“Yes, but I just got you back, and I don’t want to ruin it with talk about what Julian did to me.”

“Did TO you?” His eyes lifted and his jaw tensed as he spoke. “What did he do TO you?”

“Lorenzo…” She shook her head, not prepared to defend Julian at the moment.

“You said you’ll call if you needed me, Alexis. If I would’ve known someone hurt you, I would’ve come back and…”

“Exactly. You would’ve come back, putting yourself in danger, just like you’re doing now.”

“II should’ve been here...but...I was afraid I’d fuck everything up for you. I wanted you to have a life. I wanted you to find someone your daughters could accept. A family.”

“Stop with the regrets, Lo. You’re wasting the time we have now ruminating on what can’t be changed.”

He softened as he lifted himself to look at her face. “When did you turn into the one encouraging us to stay in the moment?”

She wrapped her arms around him again. “I’ve never been one to get stuck in the past. It’s the future I worry about. You, on the other hand, have never seemed to worry enough about the future, and stew in regret.”

He looked momentarily offended, but the truth of her words hit home. The corner of his mouth twitched. “Well then…” He rolled off her, pulling her on top of him. She laid flat over the length of his long, hard body. “I guess I’ll have to take your lead when it comes to moving forward, since you’re so much better at it than me.”

“Good man.” She kissed him, feeling their bodies pressed together, hard and soft, rough and smooth. Lorenzo Alcazar had become a sturdy man in his absence.

“I don’t have to worry about hurting your back anymore,” she said, spreading her thighs and rolling her hips.

He chuckled darkly as he grabbed handfuls of her ass, grinding their bodies together, “I’d very much like you to try.”

She felt like a pillow against a block of marble. Her hands moved over his sculpted body. “You’re so solid, Lo. You certainly weren’t sitting idle in the Peruvian countryside.” 

“Idleness wouldn’t be a good idea for a man trying to stay away from everything that mattered to him.”

“You lost yourself in work?”

His hands moved up and down her body, caressing her soft curves, clearly not hardened by immense physical labor.

“You were there in everything I did, Alexis. I saw your face in every statue. I heard whispers of your voice on the breeze when I fell asleep under the stars. I was surrounded by you no matter what I did or where I went. I didn’t lose myself in work trying not to think of you. I was lost in you the whole time. Work was where I channeled the abundant energy constantly demanding I come back to you.”

She could feel the ache of his soul. Or maybe it was her own heartache she was remembering. “You’re here now. You’re with me.”

He cupped her face and said softly, “I am here, and so are you. It’s no longer memories of your voice floating on the breeze, I can hear the sounds straight from your lips. I don’t have to find you in statues and paintings anymore, because your perfect face is inches from mine. And I don’t have to rely on dreams to feel you kiss me, because your lips are here wanting mine.”

He pulled her down hard against him. “I’ve never felt anything like what I’m feeling now, Alexis. Happiness and love and desire are too tame of words to describe what’s in me.”

Years away from him, absorbed in Danny’s illness, in Kristina’s chronic catastrophes, in Julian’s dysfunction, seem to put a protective film over the intensity of the connection they had. His sudden presence ripped away that defense, leaving her raw and completely exposed to the man who so deeply captured her heart, exactly how it was before he left, possibly even more so knowing the depth of his attachment to her only seemed to grow with time.

They made love slow, for the sake of connection, for the sake of hearing long-missed whimpers and groans, for the sake of indulgence. But climax couldn’t stay away for long when they felt so intensely. As it neared closer, Lorenzo froze and looked to the door. “Alexis, did you…”

So close to orgasm, she pressed her mouth back down on his and rocked her hips. He grunted in shock and pleasure, and shot off deep inside her. Alexis rolled her hips as he came, triggering her own orgasm, contracting around him, losing herself in a rush, both of them moaning and grunting as wave after wave of pleasure flowed between them.

“Alexis!” said a voice in the room.

Lorenzo’s body somehow stiffened even more. He looked to the door with a fiery anger in his eyes. Alexis followed his gaze…

“Julian? What the hell are you doing here?”

Julian and Lorenzo stared at each other, vehemence radiating off both men. 

“Julian!” Alexis tried pushing off Lorenzo. 

Lorenzo reluctantly let her go, making sure to put himself in between her and Julian. Alexis popped up and grabbed her robe hanging off the back of a chair, turning on Julian as she tied the knot around her waist.

“What the hell are you doing here, Julian? You can’t just come in whenever you want.”

“I tried calling. You didn’t answer. You didn’t answer the door when I knocked, either,” he said with an accusing tone.

“Clearly, I was busy.”

“With Lorenzo Alcazar, Alexis? What are you thinking?”

“Shut up. You’re the last person who gets to judge who I sleep with.”

“Alexis doesn’t need to explain herself to you or anyone else,” said Lorenzo. He was sitting against the headboard, leaning back in casual irritation. Alexis was glad she didn’t tell Lorenzo what Julian did to her at the docks. She didn’t think he’d be quite so contained in his agitation if he knew everything.

Julian ignored Lorenzo and grabbed Alexis by the shoulders. “Get dressed. We’ve got to get you out of here.”

“I’m not going anywhere. Lorenzo isn’t dangerous.”

“Sonny and Jason are on their way over here. Sonny’s out of his mind drunk, and Jason isn’t thinking straight since Carly was killed. We need to get you out of town until they calm down.”

“They’re coming here?” Alexis turned to Lorenzo, fear pulsing from her heart.

“Shit,” said Lorenzo. He stood up, unaffected by Julian seeing him naked. He walked passed them to the door, likely to go find his clothes downstairs.

“How do you know they’re coming?” asked Alexis.

“I was just at Sonny’s. Jason and Spinelli have cameras in your house.”

“They what?!”

Julian nodded. “They saw you with Lorenzo today. They also knew you helped him after Jason shot him all those years ago, and they knew you called him after Carly died.”

“They think he killed her, don’t they? They think that’s why he came back?”

Julian nodded.

“Damn. I’ve got to get him somewhere safe.” Alexis went to her closet to get some clothes. She raised her voice so Julian could hear her while she dressed in the closet. “I’ll file a restraining order in the morning, and I’m going to have to find....”

“Alexis,” Julian interrupted, “the guy is dangerous. He probably killed Carly…”

“Stop, Julian.” She walked out dressed in jeans and a cotton shirt. “You don’t know him. He didn’t have a clue what was happening until I called him. He came back for ME, not Carly.”

Julian clearly thought her delusional, but knew better than to say it out loud. “I thought you hated the guy?”

“I couldn’t let anyone know my feelings changed for the man after he was supposed to be dead.”

“Alexis…” he sounded defeated. “We were married. You had feelings for him the whole time?”

Her voice was gentle, trying to soften the blow of her lies by omission. “Our relationship had nothing to do with Lorenzo.”

“Harboring lingering feelings for the guy had nothing to do with our marriage?”

“My feelings for you were honest. But Lorenzo’s life was at stake. And it still is...We’ve got to figure out what we’re going to do.” By the way Alexis swept passed Julian as she said her last words, it was obvious the ‘we’ she was referring to was her and Lorenzo, not her and Julian.

As Alexis came it downstairs, she saw Lorenzo had his pants on and was buttoning his shirt. Alexis grabbed her keys and wallet off the desk, and brought them over to him. “Take my car and find somewhere safe for the night. I’m going to file an emergency restraining order on Sonny and Jason. Here’s some cash. I don’t think it’s a good idea to use my credit cards, because Spinelli will just track them. Don’t take your phone with you, because they’ll…”

“Alexis...” He stopped her with an abrupt, firm kiss. “First of all, I have a car down the road. I didn’t pull it into your drive because I was being discrete.” He pushed away her keys. “Second, I didn’t just spend the last decade playing with dirt and old rocks. I’ve been a businessman my whole life, for Christ’s sake. I have my own money.” He pushed away her wallet. He grabbed her by the arms and said, “I already told you, I’m not running from them again. I’m staying right here...with you.”

“You’re putting her in danger, you asshole,” said Julian, coming down the stairs behind Alexis. “And what about Sam and the kids, Alexis? You’re putting yourself between Sam, Jason, and this guy?”

“Lorenzo’s done nothing wrong, Julian. You expect me to sit idly by and let Jason kill him for coming back to me? Do you know me, at all?”

“Morgan’s not killing anyone, and certainly not like this,” said Lorenzo. “When he came after me last time, he was careful and calculated. One thing Jason Morgan has always lacked, is passion. He won’t kill me in rage.”

“But Sonny…” said Alexis.

“Jason won’t let Sonny do anything stupid. They’ll come in, wave their guns around, make their threats, and leave. By the time they come up with a more suitable strategy to deal with me, I’ll have my own protections in place. I made security arrangements while I was on the plane, and we’ll have adequate protection by tomorrow. We’ll be fine, sweetheart.”

Lorenzo was so cool and confident, it actually eased her anxiety...minutely. He noticed and smiled softly. “You didn’t think I’d risk being taken from you again after all this time?”

“Shit,” said Julian, looking out the window. “They’re here.”

Lorenzo hugged Alexis in reassurance, rocking her back and forth and kissing her forehead. She didn’t realize until she heard the door open that Lorenzo was maneuvering her behind him.

The quiet, distinctive sound of a hammer being pulled back on a handgun echoed through the room.

Lorenzo smiled down at her softly before turning around and facing his murderers. Alexis tried to step around him, but he blocked her with his arm and pushed her back behind him. She peered around him at the scene before them.

Sonny, Jason, and Max were spread out in front of her. Max had a gun on Julian, and Jason had two guns, the right one trained on Lorenzo and the left one pointed at the floor. Alexis wondered if that second gun would be aimed at her at some point this evening. 

Sonny was between Jason and Max, looking at Lorenzo with rage. He was swaying back and forth where he stood, and his eyes would drift off to the left like he wasn’t in complete control of them. He was obviously drunk. 

The second gun in Jason’s hand was likely confiscated from Sonny. Alexis hoped this was some indication that Lorenzo was right, and Jason didn’t want Lorenzo killed like this, not with so many witnesses. This was a confrontation meant for gathering information. An interrogation. 

Lorenzo was tense in front of Alexis, though an observer might not know it to look at him. He kept up an aloof facade, but she felt his body coiled and ready.

“Lorenzo Alcazar,” said Sonny. His voice was lazy and impaired.

Lorenzo’s eyes weren’t on Sonny, at all. They were on Jason...the real threat. The man who nearly killed him once before. 

The thought made Alexis rage. She pulled back from Lorenzo’s grip and made her way around the couch to confront Jason.

“How dare you come into my house and point guns at the people I love! Get out! Get out now, or I’m calling the police!”

“Shut up, Alexis! Or should I call you Judas?” said Sonny.

“I’m done with you coming into my house, pushing me around, threatening the people I care about. Leave!”

Jason raised the second gun at Lorenzo, and pulled back the hammer. Two guns on the man she loved was a very effective way to get Alexis’s attention and cooperation. “What happened in 2007 Alexis?”

Fear had her heart stuttering in her chest. She didn’t owe them an explanation, but she couldn’t help giving one. “I found him dying on the docks. I brought him home and nursed him to health. I owed him...for...for killing Luis. As soon as he was able, he left town. He’s been gone ever since.”

“You fell in love with him?” Jason’s voice was cold...clinical.

Hers wasn’t. It broke when she said, “I did. I still love him.”

“This man tried to kill me, Sam, Lulu, Spinelli, Jason..” yelled Sonny.

“And you all tried to kill him AND his son! Don’t claim moral high ground, Sonny, it’ll never work out well for you. He paid for what he did to you all. He just wants to live in peace.”

“Then he shouldn’t have come back!”

“He came back for ME. He needed to make sure I was ok.”

“Tell me about Carly,” said Jason. Though quiet, his voice was commanding.

“He didn’t know anyth…” 

“Alcazar!” Jason interrupted. “Tell me about Carly.”

Lorenzo’s voice sounded lazy and unaffected when he responded. “Alexis called to tell me Carly was killed. She told me I was potentially a person of interest. That was the first I heard about what happened. I hadn’t thought of Carly in years. And you know I’d never hurt her. I always gave Carly everything she ever wanted...freely.”

“Resentfully. You resented her love for Sonny...and for me.”

“I only resented it while I loved her. I haven’t loved Carly since...since Skye had Lila Rae. When I thought of Port Charles in my absence, it certainly wasn’t Carly I was thinking about.” His eyes flickered to Alexis, then back to Jason.

“If not you, then who killed her?” said Jason.

“You’ve accumulated two and a half decades of enemies, Morgan. I’ve not been here for half of it. How should I know? Look, I’m not here for revenge. I’m not here for Carly or Sonny or Ric or you. I’m here for her.” He nodded to Alexis. “I love her. And kill me again, if you must. My ‘death’ didn’t separate us last time, and I can’t imagine more bullets would be any more effective.”

Alexis looked back and forth from Jason and Lorenzo. There wasn’t any trust or warmth between the two men, but she hoped Jason could see the truth.

Behind them Ric came through the door, and stopped abruptly as he saw the scene before him, two guns on Alcazar and one on Julian who sat still, unmoving and observing.

“Sonny,” said Ric, “Sam said she was calling the police when I left your house. I tried to stop her, but she was determined. I tried calling to warn you, but no one is answering their damn phones. I didn’t stick around to see if Sam made the call, but if she did, they should be here any minute. You’ve got to get out of here.”

It wasn’t lost on Alexis what it cost Sam to call the police on Jason. Sam was going to be furious with her…

“We’re not done yet,” said Sonny. “The bastard’s still breathing.”

“Max, Jason, get him out of here!” said Ric.

Everyone in the room seemed frozen, like time suspended, all waiting to hear from Jason…

And almost as quickly as he came in, Jason lowered his weapons and nodded to Max that they were leaving. Jason stowed one of his guns in his waistband, and grabbed Sonny by the arm, pulling him away.

“We’re not done with you, Alcazar,” said Sonny, pointing an accusing finger at his target. His finger then turned to Alexis, “You either, traitor.”

Alexis shuddered. It wasn’t the first time her ‘friend’ threatened her. Max helped Jason corral Sonny out of the house. 

“Jesus Christ,” she said in relief when the door closed behind them. She went straight to Lorenzo, who enveloped her in his arms, his body finally relaxing as he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Lorenzo Alcazar,” said Ric. “Long time no see.”

Lorenzo smiled wryly, “I can’t say I missed your face too terribly.”

“The feeling’s mutual, I assure you.”

“You’ve gotten old, Lansing.” 

Alexis looked to her ex husband who was now covered in white hair.

“You’re no spring chicken yourself,” said Ric. Alexis would beg to differ. 

Ric turned to Alexis. “Alcazar? Really?”

Alexis sighed and shrugged. 

“I can’t say I’m surprised.” Ric laughed to himself and shook his head in condescending disappointment as was his wont. “Just keep Molly away from him.”

Ric turned on his heel and followed behind his brother. 

Julian was standing still. He hadn’t moved from he’d been the whole encounter. His eyes were on Alexis. She looked to him, pleading, but pleading for what, she wasn’t sure. Maybe to make things easy on her.

His eyes dropped to the floor, and he shook his head, much like Ric just did, except what Julian lacked in condescension, he made up for in heartache. He took a deep breath, and looked up one last time. This time, his eyes were on Lorenzo, and his gaze was full of steel...a warning…

Lorenzo nodded back, understanding the unspoken threat. Words weren’t needed between men of action.

“Take her to hotel tonight,” said Julian. “There are cameras all over this place.” Julian then turned and left, closing the door behind him.

_________________________

 

It would take another hour for the police to arrive...apparently Sam didn’t report a crime, nor did she report any suspicions of a crime in progress. In fact, she didn’t tell the police anything about Jason or Sonny. She only sent a message to Detective Chase to tell him Lorenzo Alcazar was staying at her mother’s house. Chase leisurely came by to interview Lorenzo under the intense scrutiny of Mr. Alcazar’s girlfriend/lawyer. 

Fortunately, Chase couldn’t arrest Lorenzo due to a complete lack of evidence.

Shortly after, Lorenzo took Alexis to the Cosmopolitan hotel across town, not wanting to stay at the hotel his money bought for Carly. 

Little was said between them as they readied themselves for bed, both just relieved the other was still breathing. They made love once more, lying in bed facing each other, much like they once did when his back was broken at her house by the lake. It was familiar to them. Comforting.

Sleep came poorly for both, whether because they were fighting it to stay awake in each other’s arms, or whether fear for the future interrupted their dreams. Either way, they were unrested and unsettled despite being madly in love when the sun came up the next morning.

Alexis was in the bathroom getting ready for work so she could file the restraining order as soon as the courthouse opened. She could hear background noise of the morning news Lorenzo was watching in the other room. She wasn’t ready to face what the media had to say about Lorenzo’s return, so she did her best to tune it out. 

She was surprised she hadn’t gotten a call from Sam quite yet. She’d have to make time to go see her eldest daughter later in the day. No doubt it would be an unpleasant experience. She wondered if Sam had already told Molly and Kristina about Lorenzo. Probably not...they would be blowing up her phone already.

Alexis put her lipstick away and dug through her purse for her phone. “Shit.” She must’ve left it at home in their rush to leave. Just one more stop to make in the day. 

She picked up her mascara, and painted her lashes, trying to organize all she had to do in her mind.

“Alexis...” Lorenzo said quietly from the door. 

“Hmm?” She put away her mascara and faced him with a soft smile. Whatever stress she had to face, at least she didn’t have to do it alone. 

But her brow knotted when she saw the look in Lorenzo’s eyes. “What happened?”

“Sweetheart…” he broke off. 

“What is it?” she prompted.

He stepped closer, putting his hands on her arms. “It’s Sam, honey.”

“Is she here?”

He shook his head. “She’s on the news. Alexis…”

“Lorenzo, tell me.”

Lorenzo took a deep, shuddering breath, and steeled himself to say with all the softness and compassion of someone who’s had to hear the same news before, “Sam’s been killed.”


End file.
